Topology optimization of aircraft with non-conventional configurations

Abstract

The optimal structural layouts of new aircraft configurations such as the flying wing and blended wing body (BWB) are not yet understood. These new configurations may require quite different design methods from those used conventionally and one promising alternative that is attracting increasing levels of interest is topology optimization, an approach which is significantly different from conventional approaches and valuable in applications where there is little or no collective knowledge on what an optimal structure may be. This paper proposes a new approach for using topology optimization for developing conceptual designs of an aircraft's structural layout. Its aim is to overcome some of the problems associated with the inclusion of local displacement and buckling constraints. The approach is applied to the design of a BWB UAV’s wing and is shown to offer significant advantages over a baseline design