Multidisciplinary design optimization - Enhanced methodology for aircraft and technology evaluation

Competition in the global transport aircraft market forces aircraft manufacturers progressively more to take the right decisions today for investments in cost effective technologies for the products of tomorrow to become successful, efficient and respond exactly to the variety of future customer and transportation system requirements. The present paper describes the process to achieve robust and successful strategies on a long-term basis with focus on the appropriate evaluation of aircraft designs and technology. All effects and couplings have to be considered carefully while deciding over the introduction of technology for a new aircraft project. A general outline of the motivation of the research and development project Technologie Navigator' conducted at DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus in Hamburg, Germany is given. The objective of the entire project is to plan technological developments under the influence of the changing requests from the market and competition. Product strategies and reaction to the competitive situation, the thinking in terms of aircraft families as well as the shifting demands of the customers or the society (passengers, legislator, airport neighborhood etc.) becomes a more and more important factor in the aircraft design process. In addition enhanced identification of Key Buying Factors and product added value are part of the integrated design loop. Thereby they contribute to achieving the right balance between project cost and maximum value for the prospective customer. * Project Manager Technologienavigator, Member AIAA ** Head of Operational Economics Copyright © 2000 by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Inc. with permission. Besides such an obvious win-win situation for airlines and manufacturers this proceeding also allows for the appraisal of the value of investments into necessary technology programs. In addition, it enhances the efficiency of the project organization and its on time execution by incorporating the 'first-time-right' concept already into the pre-design phase. ENHANCED AIRCRAFT DESIGN PROCESS THE 'TECHNOLOGIE NAVIGATOR' PROJECT 1999 the Technologie Navigator' project was launched at the Product definition and Technology Office of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus in Hamburg. The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and is scheduled to be completed in 2002. Incorporating several partners from science and industry, the common goal of all activities conducted in the frame of the project is an enhanced design process for the integration of novel technologies in future aircraft projects . In the scope of the project, three major areas of interest may be named: • Identification of theoretical prerequisites for the development of the new methodology. Examples for these are the incorporation of scenarios and time-dependant forecasts in dedicated models, risk assessment and a global evaluation process. • Refinement of the tools and methods currently used in the various disciplines involved in the product definition phase. This covers mainly the enhancement of interfaces among these disciplinary tools and the support of the newly developed features of the methodology. Focus of the present paper will be placed on one of these disciplinary contributions : the enhanced methodology for aircraft and 1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (c)2000 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics or Published with Permission of Author(s) and/or Author(s)' Sponsoring Organization. technology evaluation. • Exemplary application to future aircraft family concepts The efficient execution of the enhanced process shall be supported by a software integration platform currently under development. The functional items integrated in this platform will cover design synthesis, product evaluation, identification of necessary technology infusion and the corresponding time frames for technology development, selection and application as well as design risk assessment. Several dedicated disciplinary methods are connected to (but are not part of) this platform. Fig. 1 shows an illustration of the concept of this platform. Jobal evaluationrjn concept WLj' •Requirement: •Technology •Competitor •Families •Aircraft , Elements of the enhanced methodology