Cybermatrix protocol: a novel approach to highly collaborative and computationally intensive multidisciplinary aircraft optimization

Abstract

This paper presents the cybermatrix protocol, a novel approach to multidisciplinary design optimization in the contex of many involved disciplinary experts and high use of high-performance computing resources. The approach is presented from its formal mathematical background to actual on-disk implementation of a running process. As the demonstration case, a twin-engine long-range transport aircraft is optimized. Two optimization processes are shown, an overall aircraft optimization (wing planform free) and a local parameter optimization (fixed planform), with five disciplines between them: overall aircraft wing planform design, aircraft synthesis and mission evaluation, aeroelastic wing airfoil design (RANS flow, trimmed static-aeroelastic state), maneuver loads evaluation and structural wing design (panel aerodynamics, global shell-element FEM model), and gust loads evaluation and selection (panel aerodynamics, dynamic FEM beam model). Optimized solutions are in line with those expected from previous studies under similar conditions, serving as a validation point for the new approach. Moreover, since the approach can deal flexibly with a higher-complexity loads subprocesses, such as configuration-specific selection of design load cases, also some interesting new effects are seen in optimized designs.