Integrated Sizing and Optimization of HybridWing Body Aircraft in Conceptual Design

Abstract

The hybrid wing body (HWB) configuration is a paradigm shift in commercial transport aircraft design in terms of environmentally responsible characteristics and significant performance improvements over the conventional tube-and-wing configuration. However, the sizing methods and analysis tools used in conceptual design of tube-and-wing aircraft are not fully compatible with HWB due to the highly integrated fuselage and wing. This paper proposes a novel approach to perform parametric sizing and optimization of HWB aircraft at the conceptual design phase, and develops an interdisciplinary design framework which integrates preliminary aerodynamic analysis, weight estimation, propulsion system sizing, and mission analysis. Enabled by the techniques of Design of Experiments and surrogate modeling, a design space exploration is conducted over the top-level aircraft design variables, including sensitivity assessment, feasible design space identification, and constrained multi-objective optimization. The impact of uncertainties in disciplinary analyses and novel technologies on aircraft-level performance is investigated through an uncertainty analysis.