Novel aircraft configurations and advanced materials arc enabling the use of slender, flexible wings and lifting surfaces that improve the performance of next-generation aircraft. However, these slender structures are more susceptible to adverse aeroelastic phenomena that cannot be accurately predicted using low-fidelity analysis and design methods. As a result, conventional design processes may produce undiagnosed aeroelastic problems that require late-stage design modifications that incur weight and cost penalties. This work addresses the challenge of developing high-fidelity design tools that are capable of predicting and correcting adverse aeroelastic phenomena earlier in the design process. In prior publications, an adjoint-enabled, high-fidelity aeroelastic framework was presented for analysis and design optimization that can address this design challenge for steady aeroelastic problems. Here, the coupling framework has been extended to include time-accurate aeroelastic analysis and the corresponding adjoint for efficient gradient calculation. The unsteady forward and adjoint analysis are performed using block Gauss Seidel algorithms. The coupling framework is demonstrated with an optimization that includes stress and lift-weight balance constraints for a plunging flexible wing.
展开▼
