Abstract:
At present, the option for composite usage in aircraft components and the associated manufacturing process is largely based on experience, knowledge, benchmarking, and partly market driven. Consequently, a late realisation involving the design and manufacture, and an inevitable iterative design and validation process has led to high costs. The aim of this research is to develop a Knowledge-Based Optimisation Analysis Tool (K-BOAT) for optimal design of composite structures, subject to multi design constraints. Extensive study has been carried out on composite structure design, modelling, testing and analysis method to optimise a design of a composite wing panel during the preliminary design stage. This approach will allow the maximum knowledge input and interface between users (design engineers) with the design tool, rather than be left to the optimiser to provide a solution. The K-BOAT will build a set of parameters in the initial design, including the ratio of component dimensions, layers of different fibre angles, and bending-torsion coupling of a panel and a wing box. This framework offers a guideline for the design engineers to understand and expect the optimal solution of composite structures at the early design stage. This research focused on the optimal design of aircraft composite wing skin. The first level involved the initial analysis of the composite wing by using a low fidelity model based on thin-walled structural analysis method. The second level focused on the optimal design of the wing skin using the analytical method and validation using the high fidelity finite element (FE) method. In-house computing programs and commercial software are used for this level of study. In the third level, the FE model has been used to present a baseline structure to perform further detailed analysis and optimisation. The study is related to an industrially funded project. A case study of a practical wing structure in the project has indicated an improvement in aircraft aeroelastic stability by 30.5% from the initial design. Validation of the real industrial application proved that K-BOAT is applicable to the conceptual and preliminary phases in aircraft design.
