Toward Wing Aerostructural Optimization Using Simultaneous Analysis and Design Strategy

The application and computational efficiency of wing aerostructural optimization us- ing simultaneous analysis and design (SAND) strategy is investigated. A coupled adjoint aerostructural analysis method based on quasi-three-dimensional aerodynamic analysis is used for this research. Two different optimization problems are tested. In the first case a wing aeroelastic optimization is performed using both nested analysis and design (NAND) and SAND strategies. In this optimization the wing box structure is optimized to achieve minimum wing weight. In the second optimization the wing structure as well as the outer aerodynamic shape are optimized to achieve minimum aircraft fuel weight. The results of both SAND and NAND optimizations have been compared based on accuracy and compu- tational costFlight Performance and Propulsio