A distributed toolbox for multidisciplinary preliminary aircraft design

Abstract

In 2005, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) started an internal project, called TIVA, with the main goal to strengthen the multidisciplinary collaboration in the field of conceptual aircraft design. This approach was intended not only to couple disciplinary analysis tools from different institutes, but also to establish a process which keeps the disciplinary experts in the loop as well. Linking the tools and corresponding experts, this process should finally enable each discipline to study the consequences of their new concepts and technologies on overall aircraft level. One major component of this process is a new data exchange file format called CPACS, which serves as central interface and common language between the disciplinary analysis tools. The second key component is the integration framework, which allows the user to couple the single tools to multidisciplinary process chains for analysis and optimization tasks. Since the end of the TIVA project in 2009, the system is continuously being enhanced and extended in TIVA’s successor-project VAMP, as well as in several other research projects which are based on this technology. For the near future, it is further planned to open the system with its major components to external partners and to use it for common projects with Industry and Universities.