Multi-Disciplinary Optimization of Very Flexible Structures

Lead Research Organisation: Imperial College London
Department Name: Aeronautics

Abstract

Publications

10 25 50

Studentship Projects

Project Reference Relationship Related To Start End Student Name
EP/N509486/1 30/09/2016 30/03/2022
2091038 Studentship EP/N509486/1 31/03/2018 30/07/2021 Pedro Carrusca Gomes
 
Description We were able to use topology optimization (a method of determining the layout of material for a structure) to design aeroelastic systems (e.g. a wing that deforms due to fluid forces) with specific properties, for example load alleviation at off-design conditions.
We have proposed methods of reducing the computational cost associated with applying this method to fluid structure interaction problems, thereby allowing the use of higher fidelity modelling (of the underlying physics) which can improve the confidence in the numerical results obtained.

The software tool used as the basis for this work (SU2) was substantially developed to make it suitable (faster and more robust) for larger scale problems.
This resulted in a framework within this software that can be used to rapidly implement numerical methods taking advantage of all the capabilities of modern hardware.
Exploitation Route The methods can be used to design models for wind tunnel testing with specific aeroelastic characteristics (good or bad) to then possibly develop control strategies from them.
The software was made sufficiently general so that it can be applied to other types of problem, not just aeronautics, making the application to other fields of research possible.
Now that it was shown that topology optimization can be used to design for aerodynamic (rather than only structural) performance, other, more advanced, topology optimization methods can be applied to tackle some challenges. For example, how to guarantee the resulting material distribution can be manufactured without subjecting the results to manual postprocessing that may change its performance.

The secondary software developments will allow the development of new numerical schemes immediately taking advantage of modern hardware capabilities, this should accelerate their development and make better use of high performance computing facilities.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

 
Description Framework for multiphysics discrete adjoint based optimization 
Organisation Technical University Kaiserslautern
Country Germany 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Development of the framework to support fluid structure interaction (FSI) and aero-thermo-elasticity (FSI coupled with conjugate heat transfer). Efficiency improvements and development of stabilization methods to make the framework applicable to more challenging problems (e.g. larger scale, turbulence, etc.).
Collaborator Contribution The partners (Ole Burghardt from https://www.scicomp.uni-kl.de/) created the initial framework in close collaboration with the developers of the algorithmic differentiation tool from his group. Initially having in mind conjugate heat transfer problems.
Impact https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2020-3139 Currently waiting feedback from the journal of structural and multidisciplinary optimization.
Start Year 2020