FINITE ELEMENT MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS OF FLIGHT VEHICLES

Availability of engineering analysis and design tools for accurate prediction of vehicle flight performance characteristics is highly desirable. Existing programs that use panel methods are inadequate for complex geometry and for handling the full range of flight conditions. This proposal identifies the development and integration of finite element multidisciplinary analysis (FEMA) and design of flight vehicles. An existing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code will be used to couple structural, aerodynamic and flight controls interaction in an efficient androbust manner. In Phase I, we will establish criteria for critical performance and operation bounds, basic principles and concepts, spatial and temporal discretization and related methods of solution. We will evaluate the performance of FEMA tools with other available solutions. A pilot code that simulates CFD-structure-control integration to depict the effectiveness of the presently developed algorithm will be developed. Several algorithms for design optimization for integration into FEMA tools will be identified. Flight control systems integration will be evaluated and proposed for implementation. Improvements and integration of advanced flight control systems structures will be evaluated. In particular we propose to investigate the feasibility of integrating nonlinear control laws as well as specific control design methods into multiobjective optimization software. ~000122 ~