Development of an Adjoint-Based Aeroelastic Optimizer for Truss Structures in Wings

Open Access

Author:: Su, Anthony
Area of Honors:: Aerospace Engineering
Degree:: Bachelor of Science
Document Type:: Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:: Daning Huang, Thesis Supervisor
Robert G. Melton, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:: optimization
truss
structure
aerodynamic
gradient
adjoint
Abstract:: This thesis presents the formulation and demonstration of an adjoint-based aerostructural optimization of truss structures in wings. Aerodynamic forces are computed using strip theory aerodynamics and structural deformation is computed using a nonlinear truss solver. The wing is optimized using a gradient-based algorithm, where the gradients are solved for using the adjoint method. The adjoint method allows for extremely efficient computations of derivatives with respect to large numbers of design variables, such as the geometry of a truss. The adjoint method reduces optimization execution time by 85% compared to the finite-difference method. The computational framework developed in this study will be useful for designing 3D-printing-friendly aeroelastic models for wind tunnel testing.