Towards a formalized model-based process for the design of high-speed aircraft and related subsystems

Abstract

Increasing complexity associated to advanced aircraft concepts for high-speed flight is pushing the limit of engineering practices concerning design phases of products lifecycle. Specific methodologies aimed at managing requirements over the entire vehicle architecture definition shall then be properly formalized and supported by means of standardized processes and languages in order to be effective. The approaches suggested by the Systems Engineering practices, especially when considering the model-based environments as main tools for systems design, can be exploited to face these challenges, if properly tailored to suit the specific engineering field considered. This paper aims at proposing a model-based process for the design of high-speed aircraft exploiting a formalized methodology and the typical tools of Systems Engineering. A conceptual design exercise, based on the STRATOFLY MR3 hypersonic cruiser case study, is performed from high-level stakeholder objectives to vehicle performance estimations, passing through functional and interface analyses. Additionally, some insights concerning on-board subsystems sizing activities are provided in terms of integration within the high-level design process. The whole work highlights the capability of performing a seamless requirements management and development within the design procedure, particularly focussing on the relationships among the different stages of the workflow.