Multidisciplinary Optimization of Composite Structures under Uncertainty

Important results from the project

The overall goal - to enable fast and cost-effective design of robust and reliable composite structures - was achieved in the project. The individual project objectives focused on various aspects of development, validation, and testing of functionality for design applications within aerospace. The knowledge gained will be applicable in new design tools, which will lead to increased reliability, more cost-effective design processes, and ultimately reduced resource consumption in manufacturing.

Expected long term effects

We have developed a framework for optimization in Matlab/Nastran. The interaction between the programs is handled through automatically generated scripts. Results are transferred from Nastran to Matlab via H5 files, which enables fast data transfer. The developed tool is user-friendly and does not require expert knowledge to use, which is important for future industrialization of the methodology. Optimization will also become increasingly important due to the ongoing digitalization trend.

Approach and implementation

The work was divided into four technical work packages: Methodology development; CAE-integration; Testing and evaluation; Demonstrator Validation. We had a digital follow-up meeting once a month during the course of the project and a physical final meeting. The technical work largely followed the time plan, but we were delayed with the virtual aircraft demonstrator for aeroelastic analysis, which requires further adjustments before results can be presented in an upcoming scientific publication.