High-Fidelity Aerostructural Design Optimization of a Supersonic Business Jet

This paper focuses on the demonstration of an integrated aerostructural method for the design of aerospace vehicles. Both aerodynamics and structures are represented using high-fidelity models such as the Euler equations for the aerodynamics and a detailed finite element model for the primary structure. The aerodynamic outer-mold line and a structure of fixed topology are parameterized using a large number of design variables. The aerostructural sensitivities of aerodynamic and structural cost functions with respect to both outer-mold line shape and structural variables are computed using an accurate and efficient coupled-adjoint procedure. Kreisselmeier– Steinhauser functions are used to reduce the number of structural constraints in the problem. Results of the aerodynamic shape and structural optimization of a natural laminar-flow supersonic business jet are presented together with an assessment of the accuracy of the sensitivity information obtained using the coupled-adjoint procedure.