Title: 88th NIA CFD Seminar: A Robust and Flexible Coupling Framework for Aeroelastic Analysis and Optimization
Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Time: 11:00am-noon (EST)
Room: NIA, Rm137
Speaker: Graeme Kennedy, Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech
Web link to view: http://nia-mediasite.nianet.org/NIAMediasite100/Play/1f07971be7bc495d9b0a6e099b5b71611d?catalog=fe540232-73ef-4460-8462-0d8a1a25ea58
Abstract: Novel aircraft configurations and advanced materials are enabling the use of slender, flexible wings and lifting surfaces that improve the performance of next-generation aircraft. These slender structures, however, are more susceptible to adverse aeroelastic phenomena. To avoid excessive weight penalties, aeroelastic effects must be considered early in the design process. This paper presents a coupled high-fidelity aeroelastic framework for analysis and design optimization that can be used to address this design challenge. The framework implements two novel features that increase its flexibility and robustness compared with previous work. First, the governing equations are coupled using a load and displacement transfer scheme that is independent of the underlying finite-element mesh and is accurate and robust for large deflections and rotations. Second, the analysis and adjoint method are formulated in a way that simplifies the introduction of new disciplines in the optimization problem. The implementation of the discrete adjoint method is verified for aerodynamic, geometric, and structural design variables using the complex-step method. The results from a preliminary design optimization of the Common Research Model wing geometry are used to demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed framework.
Speaker Bio: Graeme J. Kennedy is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Kennedy obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2005. After graduation, he accepted an opportunity to pursue graduate studies at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). He subsequently obtained his Masters of Applied Science and Ph.D in aerospace engineering in 2007 and 2012, respectively. Upon graduation, Dr. Kennedy accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2012. In November, 2013, Dr. Kennedy joined the Georgia Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Kennedy’s research interests lie in the area of structural and multidisciplinary design optimization of aerospace vehicles. The goal of his work is to develop and apply novel methods and algorithms to enable the design of aerospace vehicles with improved structural and system-level performance such as fuel burn reduction, leading to both economic and environmental benefits. Dr. Kennedy is a member of the AIAA, AHS International and SIAM. He is a recipient of the AIAA Best Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Paper award in 2015.
Additional information, including the webcast link, can be found at the NIA CFD Seminar website: http://www.hiroakinishikawa.com/niacfds/index.html