A Purpose–Driven Optimization Scheme | UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Previously Dr. Lindsley presented a component of the Multidisciplinary Science & Technologies Center’s (MSTC) vision for efficient Air Vehicle (AV) design applied to a generic fighter aircraft. Since then, he has been advancing and enhancing the process to more fully incorporate tools developed in collaboration with MSTC counterparts in academia and industry.
The optimization/assessment scheme to be presented utilizes PHX ModelCenter for integration of multi-fidelity analysis tools in the aerodynamics, controls, structures, optimization, and uncertainty quantification disciplines. A layered approach first implements a tightly coupled (yet more loosely constrained) filtering loop to fully explore a very large design space at appropriate fidelity levels. A second loop tightly couples structural sizing with the fidelity-appropriate tools to the “successful” designs from the filtering loop under more stringent constraints. Finally, a “fleet-ready check-out” loop utilizes uncertainty quantification techniques to ensure a robust design under the randomness of environment and manufacture.
The result? PHX ModelCenter enables USAF to achieve improved design cycle efficiency and life cycle cost reduction.
Demonstration featuring: PHX ModelCenter, ZMORPH, NASTRAN, ZAERO, ZEUS-DO, LDSLib, and In-House Fortran90 code was also utilized to generate flight conditions, “stitch” particular process components, reduce unnecessary repetitions and data mine certain result sets