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NASA NTRS2014

Aeroelastic Optimization Study Based on X-56A Model

A design process which incorporates the object-oriented multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization (MDAO) tool and the aeroelastic effects of high fidelity finite element models to characterize the design space was successfully developed and established. Two multidisciplinary design optimization studies using an object-oriented MDAO tool developed at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center were presented. The first study demonstrates the use of aeroelastic tailoring concepts to minimize the structural weight while meeting the design requirements including strength, buckling, and flutter. A hybrid and discretization optimization approach was implemented to improve accuracy and computational efficiency of a global optimization algorithm. The second study presents a flutter mass balancing optimization study. The results provide guidance to modify the fabricated flexible wing design and move the design flutter speeds back into the flight envelope so that the original objective of X-56A flight test can be accomplished.

flutter constraints↗

NASA NTRS2017

Automation of POST Cases via External Optimizer and "Artificial p2" Calculation

During conceptual design speed and accuracy are often at odds. Specifically in the realm of launch vehicles, optimizing the ascent trajectory requires a larger pool of analytical power and expertise. Experienced analysts working on familiar vehicles can produce optimal trajectories in a short time frame, however whenever either "experienced" or "familiar " is not applicable the optimization process can become quite lengthy. In order to construct a vehicle agnostic method an established global optimization algorithm is needed. In this work the authors develop an "artificial" error term to map arbitrary control vectors to non-zero error by which a global method can operate. Two global methods are compared alongside Design of Experiments and random sampling and are shown to produce comparable results to analysis done by a human expert.

Dees, Patrick D.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Performance of a Checkerboard Liner With Uncertain Impedances

The current fleet of large commercial aircraft has successfully achieved FAA noise certifications because of, in part, the successful application of uniform passive duct liner treatments to control engine system noise. One goal of NASA's engine system noise reduction program is to develop technologies to improve the sound absorbing properties of duct liner treatments so that they remain effective in modern turbo fan engines. One such technology being studied is checkerboard or periodic axially and circumferentially segmented liners. A preliminary assessment of the potential of this technology was conducted by applying uncertainties associated with manufacturing, installation, source structure, and tonal frequency to a liner developed using deterministic design methods and generating a measure of improvement with respect to a uniform liner subjected to the same uncertainties. Deterministic design and analysis of the candidate checkerboard liner showed that it obtains a 1.5 dB per duct aspect ratio improvement in liner attenuation over a similarly designed uniform liner. When uncertainties in liner impedances, source structure, and frequency are considered, the performance of the checkerboard liner drops off dramatically. The final results of this paper show that the candidate checkerboard liner has a less than 25 percent chance of outperforming the uniform liner when moderate levels of uncertainty are considered. It is important to note that this study did not include the effects of mean flow on liner performance and, more important to note, that as a gradient based optimization process was used to design the checkerboard liner, it is almost certain that a global optimal design was not found for the candidate checkerboard liner. Had it been possible to find a better deterministically performing checkerboard liner, the probability that this candidate liner would outperform the uniform liner would certainly have been higher.

Robinson, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS2012

OpenMDAO: Framework for Flexible Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis and Optimization Methods

The OpenMDAO project is underway at NASA to develop a framework which simplifies the implementation of state-of-the-art tools and methods for multidisciplinary design, analysis and optimization. Foremost, OpenMDAO has been designed to handle variable problem formulations, encourage reconfigurability, and promote model reuse. This work demonstrates the concept of iteration hierarchies in OpenMDAO to achieve a flexible environment for supporting advanced optimization methods which include adaptive sampling and surrogate modeling techniques. In this effort, two efficient global optimization methods were applied to solve a constrained, single-objective and constrained, multiobjective version of a joint aircraft/engine sizing problem. The aircraft model, NASA's nextgeneration advanced single-aisle civil transport, is being studied as part of the Subsonic Fixed Wing project to help meet simultaneous program goals for reduced fuel burn, emissions, and noise. This analysis serves as a realistic test problem to demonstrate the flexibility and reconfigurability offered by OpenMDAO.

Kriging↗

NASA NTRS2017

Semi-Supervised Learning of Lift Optimization of Multi-Element Three-Segment Variable Camber Airfoil

This chapter describes a new intelligent platform for learning optimal designs of morphing wings based on Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flaps (VCCTEF) in conjunction with a leading edge flap called the Variable Camber Krueger (VCK). The new platform consists of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology coupled with a semi-supervised learning methodology. The CFD component of the intelligent platform comprises of a full Navier-Stokes solution capability (NASA OVERFLOW solver with Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model) that computes flow over a tri-element inboard NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) wing section. Various VCCTEF/VCK settings and configurations were considered to explore optimal design for high-lift flight during take-off and landing. To determine globally optimal design of such a system, an extremely large set of CFD simulations is needed. This is not feasible to achieve in practice. To alleviate this problem, a recourse was taken to a semi-supervised learning (SSL) methodology, which is based on manifold regularization techniques. A reasonable space of CFD solutions was populated and then the SSL methodology was used to fit this manifold in its entirety, including the gaps in the manifold where there were no CFD solutions available. The SSL methodology in conjunction with an elastodynamic solver (FiDDLE) was demonstrated in an earlier study involving structural health monitoring. These CFD-SSL methodologies define the new intelligent platform that forms the basis for our search for optimal design of wings. Although the present platform can be used in various other design and operational problems in engineering, this chapter focuses on the high-lift study of the VCK-VCCTEF system. Top few candidate design configurations were identified by solving the CFD problem in a small subset of the design space. The SSL component was trained on the design space, and was then used in a predictive mode to populate a selected set of test points outside of the given design space. The new design test space thus populated was evaluated by using the CFD component by determining the error between the SSL predictions and the true (CFD) solutions, which was found to be small. This demonstrates the proposed CFD-SSL methodologies for isolating the best design of the VCK-VCCTEF system, and it holds promise for quantitatively identifying best designs of flight systems, in general.

Intelligent Systems↗

NASA NTRS2011

Enhanced Fuel-Optimal Trajectory-Generation Algorithm for Planetary Pinpoint Landing

An enhanced algorithm is developed that builds on a previous innovation of fuel-optimal powered-descent guidance (PDG) for planetary pinpoint landing. The PDG problem is to compute constrained, fuel-optimal trajectories to land a craft at a prescribed target on a planetary surface, starting from a parachute cut-off point and using a throttleable descent engine. The previous innovation showed the minimal-fuel PDG problem can be posed as a convex optimization problem, in particular, as a Second-Order Cone Program, which can be solved to global optimality with deterministic convergence properties, and hence is a candidate for onboard implementation. To increase the speed and robustness of this convex PDG algorithm for possible onboard implementation, the following enhancements are incorporated: 1) Fast detection of infeasibility (i.e., control authority is not sufficient for soft-landing) for subsequent fault response. 2) The use of a piecewise-linear control parameterization, providing smooth solution trajectories and increasing computational efficiency. 3) An enhanced line-search algorithm for optimal time-of-flight, providing quicker convergence and bounding the number of path-planning iterations needed. 4) An additional constraint that analytically guarantees inter-sample satisfaction of glide-slope and non-sub-surface flight constraints, allowing larger discretizations and, hence, faster optimization. 5) Explicit incorporation of Mars rotation rate into the trajectory computation for improved targeting accuracy. These enhancements allow faster convergence to the fuel-optimal solution and, more importantly, remove the need for a "human-in-the-loop," as constraints will be satisfied over the entire path-planning interval independent of step-size (as opposed to just at the discrete time points) and infeasible initial conditions are immediately detected. Finally, while the PDG stage is typically only a few minutes, ignoring the rotation rate of Mars can introduce 10s of meters of error. By incorporating it, the enhanced PDG algorithm becomes capable of pinpoint targeting.

Acikmese, Behcet↗

NASA NTRS2007

Innovative Multi-Environment, Multimode Thermal Control System

Innovative multi-environment multimode thermal management architecture has been described that is capable of meeting widely varying thermal control requirements of various exploration mission scenarios currently under consideration. The proposed system is capable of operating in a single-phase or two-phase mode rejecting heat to the colder environment, operating in a two-phase mode with heat pump for rejecting heat to a warm environment, as well as using evaporative phasechange cooling for the mission phases where the radiator is incapable of rejecting the required heat. A single fluid loop can be used internal and external to the spacecraft for the acquisition, transport and rejection of heat by the selection of a working fluid that meets NASA safety requirements. Such a system may not be optimal for each individual mode of operation but its ability to function in multiple modes may permit global optimization of the thermal control system. The architecture also allows flexibility in partitioning of components between the various Constellation modules to take advantage of operational requirements in various modes consistent with the mission needs. Preliminary design calculations using R-134 as working fluid show the concept to be feasible to meet the heat rejection requirements that are representative of the Crew Exploration Vehicle and Lunar Access Module for nominal cases. More detailed analyses to establish performance under various modes and environmental conditions are underway.

Singh, Bhim S.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Distributed Parallel Processing and Dynamic Load Balancing Techniques for Multidisciplinary High Speed Aircraft Design

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) for large-scale engineering problems poses many challenges (e.g., the design of an efficient concurrent paradigm for global optimization based on disciplinary analyses, expensive computations over vast data sets, etc.) This work focuses on the application of distributed schemes for massively parallel architectures to MDO problems, as a tool for reducing computation time and solving larger problems. The specific problem considered here is configuration optimization of a high speed civil transport (HSCT), and the efficient parallelization of the embedded paradigm for reasonable design space identification. Two distributed dynamic load balancing techniques (random polling and global round robin with message combining) and two necessary termination detection schemes (global task count and token passing) were implemented and evaluated in terms of effectiveness and scalability to large problem sizes and a thousand processors. The effect of certain parameters on execution time was also inspected. Empirical results demonstrated stable performance and effectiveness for all schemes, and the parametric study showed that the selected algorithmic parameters have a negligible effect on performance.

Krasteva, Denitza T.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Nonsmooth trajectory optimization - An approach using continuous simulated annealing

An account is given of the properties of a continuous simulated annealing algorithm that can function as a global optimization tool for nonsmooth dynamic systems, as shown in the case of a trajectory-optimization program implementation. The approach is shown to successfully solve the problem of nonsmooth trajectory optimization for a high performance rigid-body aircraft. The results obtained demonstrate the superiority of the simulated annealing algorithm over widely used algorithms.

Lu, Ping↗

NASA NTRS1987

Frequency domain synthesis of optimal inputs for adaptive identification and control

The input design problem of selecting appropriate inputs for use in SISO adaptive identification and model reference adaptive control algorithms is considered. Averaging theory is used to characterize the optimal inputs in the frequency domain. The design problem is formulated as an optimization problem which maximizes the smallest eigenvalue of the average information matrix over power constrained signals, and the global optimal solution is obtained using a convergent numerical algorithm. A bound on the frequency search range required in the design algorithm has been determined in terms of the desired performance.

Fu, Li-Chen↗

NASA NTRS1993

Practical input optimization for aircraft parameter estimation experiments

The object of this research was to develop an algorithm for the design of practical, optimal flight test inputs for aircraft parameter estimation experiments. A general, single pass technique was developed which allows global optimization of the flight test input design for parameter estimation using the principles of dynamic programming with the input forms limited to square waves only. Provision was made for practical constraints on the input, including amplitude constraints, control system dynamics, and selected input frequency range exclusions. In addition, the input design was accomplished while imposing output amplitude constraints required by model validity and considerations of safety during the flight test. The algorithm has multiple input design capability, with optional inclusion of a constraint that only one control move at a time, so that a human pilot can implement the inputs. It is shown that the technique can be used to design experiments for estimation of open loop model parameters from closed loop flight test data. The report includes a new formulation of the optimal input design problem, a description of a new approach to the solution, and a summary of the characteristics of the algorithm, followed by three example applications of the new technique which demonstrate the quality and expanded capabilities of the input designs produced by the new technique. In all cases, the new input design approach showed significant improvement over previous input design methods in terms of achievable parameter accuracies.

Morelli, Eugene A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Optimization of cascade blade mistuning. II - Global optimum and numerical optimization

The values of the mistuning which yield the most stable eigenvectors are analytically determined, using the simplified equations of motion which were developed in Part I of this work. It is shown that random mistunings, if large enough, may lead to the maximal stability, whereas the alternate mistunings cannot. The problem of obtaining maximum stability for minimal mistuning is formulated, based on numerical optimization techniques. Several local minima are obtained using different starting mistuning vectors. The starting vectors which lead to the global minimum are identified. It is analytically shown that all minima appear in multiplicities which are equal to the number of compressor blades. The effect of mistuning on the flutter speed is studied using both an optimum mistuning vector and an alternate mistuning vector. Effects of mistunings in elastic axis locations are shown to have a negligible effect on the eigenvalues. Finally, it is shown that any general two-dimensional bending-torsion system can be reduced to an equivalent uncoupled torsional system.

Nissim, E.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Sizing and Topology Design of an Aeroelastic Wingbox Under Uncertainty

The goals of this work are to use a nested optimizer to conduct simultaneous sizing (inner level) and topology (outer level) design of a wingbox, considering uncertainties in the safety factors used to define the aeroelastic constraints. These uncertainties, propagated via sampling-driven polynomial chaos, are explicitly introduced at the inner level of the method, during gradient-based sizing optimization, resulting in a stochastic optimal sizing distribution. Measures of robustness in the total structural mass are then passed to the outer level, where a global optimizer evolves the topology parameters. The results demonstrate design choices needed to improve robustness in the face of uncertain safety factors, and the various physical mechanisms driving this process.

Stanford, Bret K.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Investigation and appreciation of optimal output feedback. Volume 1: A convergent algorithm for the stochastic infinite-time discrete optimal output feedback problem

The stochastic, infinite time, discrete output feedback problem for time invariant linear systems is examined. Two sets of sufficient conditions for the existence of a stable, globally optimal solution are presented. An expression for the total change in the cost function due to a change in the feedback gain is obtained. This expression is used to show that a sequence of gains can be obtained by an algorithm, so that the corresponding cost sequence is monotonically decreasing and the corresponding sequence of the cost gradient converges to zero. The algorithm is guaranteed to obtain a critical point of the cost function. The computational steps necessary to implement the algorithm on a computer are presented. The results are applied to a digital outer loop flight control problem. The numerical results for this 13th order problem indicate a rate of convergence considerably faster than two other algorithms used for comparison.

Halyo, N.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Rapid design of aerospace vehicle

This document presents in viewgraph form techniques for the optimal design of aerospace vehicles which take into account vehicle shape, aerodynamic performance, and weight minimization. Methods include multilevel optimization with linear decomposition, multi-constraint optimization, global sensitivity matrix, and calculation of sensitivity derivatives using both first and second order derivatives. The effects of including flexibility in the optimization is discussed.

Abdi, Frank↗

NASA NTRS1991

A mathematical basis for the design optimization of adaptive trusses in precision control

Optimal actuator placement schemes are presently studied for cases of adaptive truss precision control and prestressing control, with a view to the maximization of actuator efficiencies. In statically indeterminate truss structures, the optimal placement criteria and techniques differ, depending on whether the primary determinate structure is known. A suboptimal actuator-placement solution to the global optimization problem which combines displacement control and prestressing control is suggested, by combining the separate displacement control and prestressing control optimization results. Attention is given to the results obtained for the illustrative case of a two-bay, three-dimensional precision truss structure.

Das, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Overview of Current Turbine Aerodynamic Analysis and Testing at MSFC

An overview of the current turbine aerodynamic analysis and testing activities at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is presented. The presentation is divided into three areas. The first area is the three-dimensional (3D), unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of the Fastrac turbine. Results from a coupled nozzle, blade, and exit guide vane analysis and from an uncoupled nozzle and coupled blade and exit guide vane will be presented. Unsteady pressure distributions, frequencies, and exit profiles from each analysis will be compared and contrasted. The second area is the testing and analysis of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) High Pressure Fuel Turbopump (HPFTP) turbine with instrumented first stage blades. The SSME HPFTP turbine was tested in air at the MSFC Turbine Test Equipment (TTE). Pressure transducers were mounted on the first stage blades. Unsteady, 3D CFD analysis was performed for this geometry and flow conditions. A sampling of the results will be shown. The third area is a status of the Turbine Performance Optimization task. The objective of this task is to improve the efficiency of a turbine for potential use on a next generation launch vehicle. This task includes global optimization for the preliminary design, detailed optimization for blade shapes and spacing, and application of advanced CFD analysis. The final design will be tested in the MSFC TTE.

Griffin, Lisa W.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Optimization of Air-Breathing Propulsion Engine Concepts

Air-breathing propulsion engines play an important role in the development of both civil and military aircraft Design optimization of such engines can lead to higher power, or more thrust for less fuel consumption. A multimission propulsion engine design can be modeled mathematically as a multivariable global optimization problem, with a sequence of subproblems, which are specific to the mission events defined through Mach number, altitude, and power setting combinations.

Patnaik, Surya N.↗