A06: Conceptual design, assessment and optimization of highly integrated transport aircraft

Discipline Airplane design

Project A06’s aim is integrating a multitude of individual effects on aircraft level of the SynTrac’s guiding configurations. It is achieved on the basis of conceptual aircraft design which draws on the results of many projects and hence is highly interlinked within SynTrac: This requires novel design methodologies expanding the conceptual aircraft design workflow on three levels, paving the path towards a future System-of-Systems (SoS) inspired tool and methods design environment.

Motivation

Develop a multi-level aircraft design frame-work capable of integrating novel propulsion and energy network technologies.

  • As of today, the lack of tools and methods to systematically consider the impact of novel technologies does not allow for a conclusive assessment of synergies.

Objective

Development of the methodologies and tools required to investigate the design of disruptive aircraft configurations selected in the CRC:

  • Focus on methods for design, optimization and assessment of highly integrated aircraft configu-rations.
  • Define strategies and data formats to integrate the models of the CRC projects in a holistic design framework.
  • Assess synergies resulting from novel techno-logies on overall aircraft design (OAD) level.
  • Expand the holistic design framework to all CRC projects, integrating the different tools, reduced-order models and data to improve the initial technology assumptions.

Approach

The project initiates preliminary aircraft design by preparing designs of lead aircraft configurations. These include configurations with Boundary Layer Ingestion and Distributed Electric Propulsion. An energy network design and operation toolbox is developed to simulate and test energy management strategies, as well as to design energy systems. Additionally, an integrated aircraft design framework suitable for various aircraft architectures is developed. This framework includes lead and reference configurations proposed by the CRC. Integration of the energy network design toolbox into the aircraft design framework is facilitated, followed by the refinement of preliminary designs using the established framework. Finally, design assessment and feedback are provided, indicating promising integration concepts and technologies, as well as potential aircraft configurations derived from them.

Role in SynTrac

Interact with projects A01-A05, B01-B06, C01, C06 to expand aircraft design methodologies in a three-level approach:

  • Level 0: initialize and provide guiding aircraft configurations;
  • Level 1: integrate different methods and models developed in the CRC;
  • Level 2: higher-fidelity iterative OAD approach to fine-tune the designs for a final assessment of novel technologies.

All people involved in the project "A06: Conceptual design, assessment and optimization of highly integrated transport aircraft"