An sequential optimization and aeroelastic constraint transformation method for strength-aeroelastic comprehensive design

With the development of modern aircraft technology, aeroelasticity plays a more and more crucial role in aircraft structural design. However, low efficiency of present aeroelastic analysis and optimization methods makes it difficult to apply in engineering practice. This paper presents a sequential optimization and aeroelastic constraint transformation method (SOACTM) for comprehensive design of airplane wings with strength and aeroelastic constraints. Optimization with structural strength constraint and aeroelastic constraint is transformed into a serial of cycles of decoupled structural strength sub-optimizations and aeroelastic sub-optimizations based on sequential optimization strategy. In structural strength sub-optimization, structural strength constraint is translated along its normal direction to make optimal design point satisfying aeroelastic constraint. And the goal of aeroelastic sub-optimization is to find the translational distance of structural strength constraint. Aeroelastic constraint is transformed to equivalent structural strength constraint via above approach. In this way, number of aeroelastic analyses in SOACTM is less than that in traditional optimization method and total computational time decreases. SOACTM is verified based on two examples. Traditional optimization method is applied for the sake of validation. The results demonstrated the accuracy and efficiency of SOACTM for wing comprehensive optimization considering both structural strength and aeroelastic constraints.