B06: Structural design space and interfaces of aft-mounted engines — methodological framework, structural design and optimization

Discipline Structural Mechanics

Project B06 investigates the structural integration of the aft-mounted engines, as planned in configuration 1a (with BLI) and 1b (podded engine) to develop design solutions for the cross-system integration of the aircraft tail structure which are fed back into the overall design. With a focus on the entire rear structure and the engine mounts, new technological bricks such as morphing and auxetic structures are considered. To reach the targets novel solution approaches for multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) and new fundamental methods for machine-learned (ML) surrogate models and polymorphic uncertainty quantification (PUQ) will be developed in order to exploit the synergies and potentials of multidimensional functional integration.

Motivation

How can the design space for the aircraft rear structure and the integrated engine mount be modelled and explored, and what methodological approaches are required for efficient and synergistic design solutions?

  • Many multifunctional requirements in small space
  • High fidelity multidisciplinary modelling required
  • Potentials of new microstructured materials and morphing concepts
  • Lack of integrated design methods include uncertainties into design

Objective

  • Comprehensive description of the design space for configurations 1.a and 1.b
    ◦ Decomposition into rear aircraft structure and engine mount
    ◦ Including BLI, propulsion systems, empennage, cabin interface
  • Building an MDO approach for integrated cross-disciplinary and cross-system design with bi-scale microstructures
  • Development of first design solutions for the engine integration into the rear aircraft needed for the overall aircraft assessment in project area A
  • Method development for MDO, PUQ and MOR

Approach

The project initiates with a comprehensive approach to Multi-Fidelity and Multidisciplinary (MD) Design, involving compiling various multi-physical load cases and spectra. This phase also encompasses defining the design space and targets at a macro level, alongside identifying potential design microstructures.
Following this, the project delves into the Topology Design for Macroscale Aircraft Tail Structures, optimizing the structural design of aircraft tails utilizing isogeometric analysis.
Subsequently, the focus shifts to Aero-structural and Actuated Design of Tail Structures, where high-fidelity aero-structural designs are developed, while also exploring the flutter characteristics of tail-mounted engine configurations.
The project then undertakes MD Design Optimization of Engine-Tail-Mount Microstructure, which involves sensitivity analysis, polymorphic uncertainty quantification (PUQ), and bi-scale optimization of the microstructure via FE2 and model order reduction techniques.
Finally, the project encompasses Method Development for Robust, Hybrid Multi-Objective Design Optimization, addressing aleatory and epistemic uncertainties through Bayes and enhanced kriging techniques. Additionally, hybrid model order reduction methods are explored, combining knowledge- and data-driven approaches.
The culmination of the project involves exploring Design Synergies and Configuration Assessment, aiming to identify synergies and assess the overall configuration of the designed tail structures.

Role in SynTrac

All people involved in the project "B06: Structural design space and interfaces of aft-mounted engines — methodological framework, structural design and optimization"