Multidisciplinary Preliminary Aircraft Design with Integrated Noise Analysis Capabilities

Abstract

Aircraft noise reduction can be achieved not only by noise reduction at the source but also by modification of parameters in aircraft design and performance. Treating both merely independently from each other does not necessarily lead to the best results. Therefore, a balanced approach is necessary to combine both methodologies for multidisciplinary optimisation. Aircraft noise analysis can be conducted with the Parametric Aircraft Noise Analysis Module (PANAM). PrADO (Preliminary Aircraft Design and Optimisation) provides a framework to analyse state-of-the-art aircraft configurations. A newly derived interface for connecting both programs is presented. It allows for the influences of changes in aircraft design on ground noise impact to be fed back into the multidisciplinary design process. The importance of this approach is emphasised since (1) the focus on optimising noise abatement procedures could lead to a dislocation of the ground noise impact without overall noise reduction and (2) the focus on noise emission reduction at the source could have negative implications on performance, weight and costs of the aircraft. This paper presents first applications of this interface by using examples of aircraft parameter variations. Interactions and tendencies related to noise are demonstrated. A perspective of a procedure for optimising an aircraft for minimum ground noise impact is presented.