Context
Design procedure and Multi-Disciplinary Optimisation (MDO) in aeronautics
During aircraft or engine design phases, most optimisation studies using High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi) simulations are limited to a single discipline, with an iterative process necessary to go from one discipline to another:
- Aerodynamics
- Acoustics
- Heat transfer
- Structural analysis
Limitations of a single disciplinary approach:
- Significant time delays to the overall process
- Difficulties to exploit multi-disciplinary trade-off
Adjoint-Based Optimisation
A method for obtaining sensitivities of functions of interest (drag, weight, heat flux, acoustics energy, ...) with regard to design parameters.
Computational effort is independent from the dimensions of the design space.
Limitations:
- Often limited to pure aerodynamic optimisation
- Airframe: used for wing or pylon designs
- Turbofan engine: used for components design such as fan, compressor or turbine blades
- Propeller: not used by industrial actors