Aeroelastic two-level optimization for preliminary design of wing structures considering robust constraints

An aeroelastic two-level optimization methodology for preliminary design of wing structures is presented, in which the parameters for structural layout and sizes are taken as design variables in the first-level optimization, and robust constraints in conjunction with conventional aeroelastic constraints are considered in the second-level optimization. A low-order panel method is used for aerodynamic analysis in the first-level optimization, and a high-order panel method is employed in the second-level optimization. It is concluded that the design of the abovementioned structural parameters of a wing can be improved using the present method with high efficiency. An improvement is seen in aeroelastic performance of the wing obtained with the present method when compared to the initial wing. Since these optimized structures are obtained after consideration of aerodynamic and structural uncertainties, they are well suited to encounter these uncertainties when they occur in reality.