Mapping Mesostructures to Hypersonics for Improved Manufacturing and Performance

The Air Force seeks a mesostructure driven optimization toolkit for hypersonic loading environments. Through additive manufacturing, mesostructures offer opportunities to tailor the mechanical and thermal response, resulting in increased maneuverability, weight reduction, and thermal load path management, among other benefits. In response to this need, Corvid Technologies, with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and General Electric (GE), are developing a framework that utilizes topology optimization to inform the material property distribution in the component design space. Corvid will continue to leverage its in-house structural solver Velodyne, which is capable of simulating hypersonic environments accurately, coupled with its in-house topology optimization software, eVolve.  In Phase II, Corvid and JHU will refine the topology optimization design strategy through the addition of thermal multi-physics capabilities to the design framework. This will include the design of mesostructures with specific optimal material properties of interest and the design and integration of orientated mesostructures. The mesostructure database and eVolve will be packaged together in an easy-to-use software for design of structures under thermal-mechanical loading scenarios. GE will support validation of orientated mesostructure database material properties as well as the optimization of the internal structure of a current hypersonic canard design.