Synergistic aircraft design using CFD air loads

A novel approach to the art of optimal design of modem flying vehicles incl uding the application of multiple objective functions and constraints is pr esented. The method employs a two stage optimization procedure so that loca l minima and global minima of multiple objective functions can be determine d synergistically. The concept of system identification is also used to cha racterize a nonlinear system in terms of generalized state space coordinate s. Next, the modern optimal control theory is applied to design concurrentl y the multidisciplinary functional elements of an advanced aircraft system. Hence, the procedure proposed here should hopefully advance the art of mod ern aircraft design and reduce the period of design cycle and cost by an or der of magnitude. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.