Development of a Flexible MDO Architecture for Aircraft Conceptual Design

1. Abstract Aircraft design is a complex and lengthy process dependent upon many competing disciplinary analyses. It is also subject to changing mission goals, airworthiness requirements, environmental regulations, and many other factors. A modular Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDO) framework is being developed with the ability to handle a variety of optimization objectives as well as problem-specific disciplinary analyses. The algorithm implements the Collaborative Optimization (CO) MDO method and a multiobjective Genetic Algorithm (GA). The core disciplinary analyses include basic structural and aerodynamic analyses as well as a modular aircraft performance simulator capable of handling many different flight profiles. The algorithm is designed to interact with problem-specific disciplines in addition to the core disciplines. This scheme allows for a high degree of freedom in the implementation of different objectives, constraints, and disciplinary analyses. The advantage of this approach is the ability to assess the impact of changing technology, regulatory and environmental requirements, and mission profiles on the preliminary design of new aircraft. 2. Keywords: Aircraft Design, MDO