Integrated Exploration and Visualization of Optimal Aircraft Conceptual Designs

[Abstract] The objective of this paper is to present a novel methodology for enabling the visualization and exploration of data obtained during aircraft multiobjective optimization at conceptual design stage. The aim is to enhance the designer’s insight into the optimization problem at hand. To achieve this goal, the present methodology integrates suitable means for visualization and exploration of the optimal solutions. By combining different graphical interfaces, the designer is provided with diverse perspectives of the multidimensional data under study. Additionally, the method provides a posteriori exploration of further optimal solutions. This is made possible by means of appropriate approximation techniques which are integrated within the visualization environment and allow obtaining such information at no additional computational cost. The application of the present methodology to an aircraft sizing test case shows promising results in helping the designer understand the complex high-dimensional data involved. Nomenclature ρ = ambient air density γ = minimum second segment climb angl