Physics-Based Conceptual Design Flying Qualities Analysis using OpenVSP and VSPAero

NASA?s OpenVSP tool suite provides a common parametrically driven geometry model formany different analyses for aircraft and is primarily used in the conceptual design phase. The current 3.5.1 release currently contains significant gaps when assessing handling qualities for a particular configuration forcing the engineer to rely on historical methods with limited applicability to advanced technology design concepts with unconventional configurations. In the proposed effort, ESAero will develop an integrated workflow within the OpenVSP suite for quantitative assessment of handling qualities enabling the engineer to explore new design spaces with unconventional configurations. Along with this workflow a set of pre-requisite tasks to improve the system modeling capabilities will be completed as well. These efforts include: improving flight control surface modeling, improved mass properties representation for generic components, a new aerodynamic trim solver, a new vehicle dynamics model calculation, and a new parameter sweep capability to tie geometry to quantitative physics base handling qualities. These efforts will also lay the ground work for follow on studies of high lift aerodynamics and closed loop flight control. The proposed efforts are designed to complement the existing and active OpenVSP and VSPAERO development efforts.