Application of multidisciplinary design optimization on advanced configuration aircraft

An optimization strategy is constructed to solve the aerodynamic and structural optimization problems in the conceptual design of double-swept flying wing aircraft. Aircraft preliminary aerodynamic and structural design optimization is typically based on the application of a deterministic approach of optimizing aerodynamic performance and structural weight. In aerodynamic optimization, the objective is to minimize induced drag coefficient, and the structural optimization aims to find the minimization of the structural weight. In order to deal with the multiple objective optimization problems, an optimization strategy based on collaborative optimization is adopted. Based on the optimization strategy, the optimization process is divided into system level optimization and subsystem level optimization. The system level optimization aims to obtain the optimized design which meets the constraints of all disciplines. In subsystem optimization, the optimization process for different disciplines can be executed simultaneously to search for the consistent schemes. A double-swept configuration of flying wing aircraft is optimized through the suggested optimization strategy, and the optimization results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. © 2017, Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management. All rights reserved.