VISCOUS COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS AND A CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUE

PROPER DUCT DESIGN IS A FUNDAMENTAL ENGINEERING PROBLEM WHICH CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT UPON COMPNENT EFFICIENCY. CURRENT AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS, WHICH PLACE A PREMIUM ON COMPACT DESIGN AND CLOSELY FIT COMPONENTS, OFTEN EXACERBATE THIS PROBLEM. EXAMPLES ARE DUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH INLETS ANDNOZZLES AS WELL AS TRANSITION DUCTS BETWEEN ENGINE COMPONENTS. AT PRESENT TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE TO COMPUTE THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL VISCOUS FLOW IN DUCTS WHEN THE DUCT FLOW CONDITIONS AND GEOMETRY ARE SPECIFIED. TECHNOLOGY ALSOIS AVAILABLE TO OPTIMIZE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS SUBJECT TO SPECIFIED CONSTRAINTS. UNDER THE PROPOSED EFFORT AN EFFICIENT, VALIDATED THREE-DIMENSIONAL VISCOUS FLOW ANALYSIS, PEPSIG WOULD BE COMBINED WITH A CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION PROCEDURE TO PROVIDE THE AEROSPACE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY WITH A POWERFUL NEW TOOL TO AID IN THEDESIGN OF AERODYNAMIC DUCTS. UNDER PHASE I THE FEASIBILITY OF THE OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUE WOULD BE DEMONSTRATED BY DESIGNING AN OPTIUM DUCT FOR A REALISTIC AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROBLEM. A PHASE II PROGRAM WOULD FULLY AUTOMATE THE CODE AND USE IT TO DESIGN A SERIES OF "OPTIMUM DUCTS". EVENTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROCEDURE WOULD PROVIDE A POWERFUL TOOL FOR AEROSPACE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THIS PROCEDURE WOULD PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY FOR NEW AND REDESIGNED AEROSPACE SYSTEMS. BECAUSE THE PROPOSED PROCEDURE WOULD BE FULLY AUTOMATED, IT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE A SAVINGS IN MAN HOURS IN THE DESIGN PROCESS AND SHORTEN REQUIRED DESIGN LEAD TIMES.