Aircraft design is an inherently multi-disciplinary activity that requires different models and tools for various aspects of the design. At Linköping University a novel design framework is being developed to support the initial conceptual design phase of a new aircraft. Different modules are included, each one addressed to analyze and evaluate different aspects of the airplane, such as its aerodynamics, its weight and structure, its sub systems and its performances. All modules are easily accessible from a user-friendly interface based on an Excel spreadsheet. The link between all modules is based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and allows both distribution and integration of all functions. This paper will present the framework, give an overview of its development status and give an indication on the future work.
This contribution will discuss engineering design projects with various environmental and sustainable objectives. The automotive industry is facing a major vicissitude regarding the system layouts of their products. Given the rapidly increasing demands for environmentally acceptable and sustainable vehicles, developed even faster and under increasing competition, one could expect a future, or a period of transition, where a “market pull”-situation will exact design methods more adapted for new propulsion technologies such as fuel cells, bio-fuels, hybrid configurations and so forth. When looking at two-wheeled vehicles it is also a matter of a dramatic change in the safety requirements that would affect the design process in a similar way.
This paper presents studies made regarding development of two-wheeled vehicles with strict safety, environmental and sustainability requirements. It also describes what happens when a very mature product, such as a conventional motorcycle, undergoes dramatic changes in propulsion system and safety features and becomes technically immature, but still has to preserve its traditional values in the eyes of the consumer. Over the last two years, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Linköping University has conducted various projects dealing with these issues using rapid, low-cost, demonstrator development together with digital models. The demonstrator is used as a vehicle to evaluate the integration of technology, as well as less tangible aspects such as ergonomics, drivability, appeal, visual impression etc. This approach has proven particularly fruitful when dealing with new technologies with a high level of innovation. The rapid nature of these projects also makes them suitable for exploring digital collaboration tools aimed at controlling and speeding up the design process.
The design of modern aircraft requires the integration of multidisciplinary mouels for analysis in the early design phase to increase the chances of a successful project. In this paper, a framework for distributed aircraft analysis in the conceptual design including several domains is presented. The framework is based on so-called Web Service Standards, allowing integration of distributed models for system simulation and optimization using standardized interfaces. The analysis is controlled by a so-called sequencer which manages the interaction between simulation modules and an XML-based design data repository. This repository includes all design data and an executable process description defining the sequence for execution of the modules. In the paper, the framework with its underlying concepts is described. The approach is further illustrated using thedesign of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as an example. This includes the definition of the stimulation modules, the process model, and definition and execution of an optimization problem.
This paper presents an approach of integration between multiple analysis tools that covers several engineering disciplines, used for robot design and optimization. There are three main components in this approach namely a highly flexible geometric model, a parametric dynamic simulation model, and a framework for integration of the models and execution of an optimization process through a user friendly interface. To illustrate the presented methodology an integrated analysis tool for an industrial robot is developed combining dynamic and geometric models in a parametric design approach. An optimization case is conducted to visualize the automation capabilities of the proposed framework, and enhance the early design phases for industrial robots.
This paper presents a formal mathematical framework for the use of the morphological matrix in a computerized conceptual design framework. Within the presented framework, the matrix is quantified so that each solution principle is associated with a set of characteristics such as weight, cost, performance, etc. Selection of individual solutions is modeled with decision variables and an optimization problem is formulated. The applications are the conceptual design of subsystems for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and an aircraft fuel transfer system. Both the system models and the mathematical framework are implemented in MS Excel.