1716. An Integrated Approach to Advanced Conceptual Design

Paper

Abstract

Aircraft technology is advancing at a rapid pace. New materials, new systems, new weapons, new mission scenarios, and the shifting emphasis towards survivability and life-cycle-cost reduction all play a part in changing the traditional design philosophies. Many times, however, the tools available to the engineer cannot consider either the effects of new technology, or the emphasis on optimization of factors other than the traditional weight, performance, and cost parameters used in the past. It is important, therefore, to provide the engineer the ability to design and analyze many different types of aircraft with a wide range of potential optimization parameters in a timely, cost-effective manner. This paper presents a two phased approach being taken to update the conceptual design capability at the Vought Aero Products Division of LTV Aerospace and Defense. The first phase involves using a graphics based workstation computer to integrate several conceptual design analysis programs into a single, standalone conceptual design system. The second phase will provide for the development of new configuration generation and analysis capability by incorporating expert system techniques.