A Conceptual Design and Analysis Method for Conventional and Unconventional Airplanes

A design method is presented that has been implemented in a software program to investigate the merits of conventional and unconventional transport airplanes. Design and analysis methods are implemented in a design tool capable of creating a conceptual design based on a set of toplevel requirements. In contrast to established design methods,...

Semi-Analytical Weight Estimation Method for Fuselages with Oval Cross-Section

This paper presents a semi-analytical method for the weight estimation of fuselages with an oval cross-section, applied to blended wing body aircraft. The weight estimation of the fuselage primary structure is based on a structural analysis of two-dimensional crosssections and it is completed by a set of empirical relations for the weight...

A Conceptual Design and Optimization Method for Blended-Wing-Body Aircraft

This paper details a new software tool to aid in the conceptual design of blended-wingbody aircraft. The tool consists of four main modules. In the preliminary sizing model a class I estimate of the maximum take-off weight, wing loading, and thrust-to-weight ratio is calculated. This information is used together with an initial guess of the 30...

A New Structural Design Concept for Blended Wing Body Cabins

This paper outlines a new concept for a pressure cabin design for blended-wing-body aircraft. An overview is presented of the wide oval cabin and why it is believed to be a possible alternative to existing designs of non-circular pressurized cabins. The perimeter of the oval cross section is formed by four smoothly connecting arcs of different...

Topology Design of Pressure Adaptive Honeycomb for a Morphing Fowler Flap

A new method for designing a morphing Fowler flap based on pressure-adaptive honeycomb is detailed. Pressure adaptive honeycomb has been shown to be able to induce gross camber deformations in airfoil sections, such as a flap. However, due to the large amount of design variables the integration of the honeycomb as a distributed actuator in a...

Development and Implementation of a Novel Parametrization Technique for Multidisciplinary Design Initialization

A new parametrization method for aircraft shapes is presented to enhance shape optimization for aircraft design. This parametrization method was implemented in a tool that creates feasible initial solutions for multidisciplinary design optimization problems. The tool combines all aspects of the aerodynamic design process: parametrization, aero...

Pressure Adaptive Honeycomb: Mechanics, Modeling, and Experimental Investigation

A new type of adaptive structure is presented that relies on a pressure derential to perform gross structural deformations. This structure relies on highly compliant honey-comb cells that can be pressurized externally or can rely on a pressure differential that exists at elevated altitudes. By pressurizing this honeycomb, its stiffness can be...