Research

Research at the Chair of Aircraft Conceptual Design:

One of the main research areas of the Chair of Aircraft Design is related to conceptual design of future aircraft. This includes various topics such as assessment of novel technologies applied to future airframe systems (e.g. active flow control, active load alleviation and boundary layer ingestion) and investigating new aircraft configurations such as twin-fuselage, forward-swept wing, blended wing body, etc. Multi-fidelity design approach is actively used in early design stages to improve analysis fidelity of unconventional aircraft. In addition, multi-fidelity and multi-disciplinary design optimization techniques are actively used to determine potential of novel airplanes as much as possible.

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is recognized as one of the most promising methodologies for the design of complex systems such as aircraft. The Chair of Aircraft Design is actively working on development and application of MDO methods to support the design of air as well as ground transport systems.
Our MDO research includes (but not limited to) developing coupled-adjoint aerostructural optimization for aircraft design; High-fidelity aerodynamic and structural optimization; aircraft and spacecraft mission and trajectory optimization; Multi-fidelity optimization; and developing new optimization algorithms as well as MDO strategies.

Increasing urbanization, congestion and pollution are worldwide challenges human kind is facing in the 21st century. Hence smart, green, efficient and integrated mobility solutions are one of society’s grand challenges. Research in new mobility systems require a fundamentally different approach in order to respond to the changing demands of society. Key considerations in this transformation are safety, environmental compatibility (e.g. energy, budget, noise, emissions) and new business models (e.g. leasing, shared- / hailing-mobility, mobility ecosystem subscriptions).

Topology optimization (TO) is a well-known and powerful numerical tool, and nowadays is widely being utilized for various engineering applications such as: structural design, heat and mass transfer or fluid-structure interaction problems. The ability to create/modify the topology of a design, makes TO superior to sizing and shape optimization, when it comes to an ultimate design optimization. Our research primarily aims to further discover the TO potentials in tackling challenging engineering tasks. This includes developing and applying TO methods for solids, fluid and Multiphysics systems.

Variable stiffness laminates are advanced composite concepts. For these laminates the material stiffness is considered as a spatially distributed property which can be tailored to specific loading conditions. One of the most recent concepts used for variation of material properties is fiber steering in composite skins. The increase in design freedom going from constant to variable stiffness laminates, requires dedicated design tools, where the optimization-based methods being the most appropriate. Besides, in airframe structures, the thin wall skins are usually reinforced using various types of stiffeners. Therefore, a design methodology/tool is required to find the optimum fiber steered stiffened structure. In a close collaboration with the University of South Carolina, USA, we are developing new methods and tools for design optimization of advanced tow steered composites for aircraft structures.

In addition to the theoretical and applied research, the Chair of Aircraft Design also focuses on tools to support design and optimization of aerospace vehicles. Software includes integration of various already available software and creation of in-house tools that available multi-fidelity analysis, design, and optimization.