Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports Volume 38 July 28, 2000

20000061442 NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL USA
Emergent Aerospace Designs Using Negotiating Autonomous Agents
Deshmukh, Abhijit, Massachusetts Univ., USA; Middelkoop, Timothy, Massachusetts Univ., USA; Krothapalli, Anjaneyulu, Florida
State Univ., USA; Smith, Charles, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, USA; Aerodynamic Design and Optimisation of
Flight Vehicles in a Concurrent Multi-Disciplinary Environment; June 2000, pp. 25-1 - 25-8; In English; See also 20000061419
Contract(s)/Grant(s): NAG2-1114; NSF ARC-99-78923; Copyright Waived; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
This paper presents a distributed design methodology where designs emerge as a result of the negotiations between different
stake holders in the process, such as cost, performance, reliability, etc. The proposed methodology uses autonomous agents to
represent design decision makers. Each agent influences specific design parameters in order to maximize their utility. Since the
design parameters depend on the aggregate demand of all the agents in the system, design agents need to negotiate with others
in the market economy in order to reach an acceptable utility value. This paper addresses several interesting research issues related
to distributed design architectures. First, we present a flexible framework which facilitates decomposition of the design problem.
Second, we present overview of a market mechanism for generating acceptable design configurations. Finally, we integrate learning
mechanisms in the design process to reduce the computational overhead.
Author
Decomposition; Design Analysis; Systems Engineering; Decision Making; Architecture; Structural Design
20000061445 Loughborough Univ. of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, UK
Design Tools for Performance Assessment of Fighter Aircraft Incorporating New Technologies
Kutschera, Anthony, Loughborough Univ. of Technology, UK; Render, Peter M., Loughborough Univ. of Technology, UK; Aerodynamic
Design and Optimisation of Flight Vehicles in a Concurrent Multi-Disciplinary Environment; June 2000, pp. 29-1 - 29-9;
In English; See also 20000061419; Copyright Waived; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
The performance assessment of modern fighter aircraft has been the subject of considerable research in recent years. A new
metric called Nodal Maneuver Analysis has been proposed, which allows performance assessment of new technologies to be carried
out during the conceptual/preliminary design stages of an aircraft. This paper seeks to demonstrate the uses of the Nodal
Maneuver Analysis metric by considering three case studies. These studies assess the changes in performance of a baseline aircraft
in a vertical turn maneuver, when new technology is incorporated. The technologies are 1) an increase in thrust, 2) a reduction
in weight, and 3) the incorporation of Thrust Vectoring and Post Stall Maneuverability. Through these studies, it is shown that
Nodal Maneuver Analysis can quantify the advantages/disadvantages of incorporating new technology into the design.
Author
Design Analysis; Software Development Tools; Performance Prediction; Fighter Aircraft; Technology Assessment
20000061447 Aerospatiale, Matra Missiles, Chatillon, France
Inlet/Body Integration Preliminary Design for Supersonic Air-Breathing Missiles Using Automated Multi-Disciplinary
Optimization
Kergaravat, Yan, Aerospatiale, France; Vives, Eric, Aerospatiale, France; Knight, Doyle, Rutgers - The State Univ., USA; Aerodynamic
Design and Optimisation of Flight Vehicles in a Concurrent Multi-Disciplinary Environment; June 2000, pp. 31-1 - 31-12;
In English; See also 20000061419; Copyright Waived; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
In order to reduce the design cycle time and cost and to improve the multi-disciplinary interactions at the preliminary design
stage of supersonic air-breathing missiles, an automated optimization method has been developed for inlet/body integration in
a concurrent engineering environment. Three disciplines of higher relevance have been considered for the shape optimization
problem: propulsion, aerodynamics and electromagnetics. This paper describes the numerical method, which incorporates a
genetic algorithm and three analysis modules into the optimization loop. The parametric model of the generic missile is presented.
The optimization problem is defined and solved for a given mission and set of specifications. The problem is addressed in three
phases corresponding to an increasing number of concurrent disciplines. This progression enables to emphasize the conflicting
goals between the disciplines and to understand how the optimizer yields the best compromises. This preliminary study shows
interesting results and strong potential for future development and industrial applications.
Author
Air Breathing Engines; Concurrent Engineering; Genetic Algorithms; Design Analysis; Optimization; Procedures; Supersonic
Inlets
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