Efficient aerodynamic optimization of a very light jet aircraft using evolutionary algorithms and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes flow models

Abstract

The challenging problem of wing design for small business aircraft configurations is here explored using evolutionary computing. The activity focuses on the aerodynamic analysis and optimization of a laminar wing in cruise and high lift conditions. The main feature of thisstudy is the application of natural laminar flow technology which in turn implies pressure-gradient optimization. The optimization study is performed using chained computational fluid dynamics-based aerodynamic numerical methods in an evolutionary optimization framework. A major issue is the simulation of the rear-mounted engine mass flow inlet in cruise conditions, which introduces a remarkable geometry complication and computational time increase into the optimization process. The first section gives some details about the design and analysis system. The reference configuration is analysed to show the starting point of the aerodynamic design. Then, the optimization problem definition and the adopted strategy are discussed. The final section is devoted to the aerodynamic analysis of the obtained optimal configuration.