Multidisciplinary Analysis of a Box-Wing Aircraft Designed for a Regional-Jet Mission

Abstract

In order to achieve significant fuel savings for transport missions, unconventional designs such as box-wings are being considered for the next generation of civil transport aircraft. Previous studies have shown that nonplanar wings, such as box-wings can achieve superior aerodynamic performance relative to conventional designs. In addition, the box-wing designs may have some structural advantages. However, previous studies have not identified the magnitude of any structural savings in box-wing designs nor have they considered performance of box-wings in off-cruise mission segments. This study performed a multidisciplinary analysis which examined the aerodynamic performance of a box-wing regional jet aircraft throughout its mission and used a fully stressed beam analysis to examine the structure of the wing in detail. Combining this analysis with a constrained optimization algorithm allowed an optimal design to be identified which met critical design constraints such as trim and longitudinal stability. The optimal design burnt less fuel over the course of its mission than a conventional aircraft and the fuel savings would have been greater if the aircraft were designed for a lower cruise Mach number. These findings indicate that a box-wing is a promising candidate for a next-generation of environmentally friendly regional jet aircraft.