Development of a Computer-aided-design-based Geometry and Mesh Movement Algorithm for Three-dimensional Aerodynamic Shape Optimization

This thesis focuses on the development of a Computer-Aided-Design (CAD)-based geometry parameterization method and a corresponding surface mesh movement algorithm suitable for three-dimensional aerodynamic shape optimization. The geometry parameterization method includes a geometry control tool to aid in the construction and manipulation of a CAD geometry through a vendor-neutral application interface, CAPRI. It automates the tedious part of the construction phase involving data entry and providesintuitive and effective design variables that allow for both the flexibility and the precision required to control the movement of the geometry. The surface mesh movement algorithm, on the other hand, transforms an initial structured surface mesh to fit the new geometry using a discrete representation of the new CAD surface provided by CAPRI. Using a unique mapping procedure, the algorithm not only preserves the characteristics of the original surface mesh, but also guarantees that the new mesh points are on the CAD geometry. The new surface mesh is then smoothed in the parametric space before it is transformed back into three-dimensional space. The procedure is efficient in that all the processing is done in the parametric space, incurring minimal computational cost. The geometry parameterization and mesh movement tools are integrated into a three-dimensional shape optimization framework, with a linear-elasticity volume-mesh movement algorithm, a Newton-Krylov flow solver for the Euler equations, and a gradient-based optimizer. The validity and accuracy of the CAD-based optimization algorithm are demonstrated through a number of verification and optimization cases.Ph.D