TY - GEN
T1 - Conceptual Design of a Flying-V Aircraft Family
AU - Oosterom, W.J.
AU - Vos, Roelof
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The Flying V is a flying-wing aircraft, which promises a 20% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a conventional twin-aisle commercial transport. The passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks are all integrated into a highly-swept, cranked wing. This study presents the conceptual design of a three-member family of Flying-V aircraft with maximal commonality between the family members. A design process is proposed to automate the synthesis process of the aircraft family comprising all relevant disciplinary analysis methods. A vortex-lattice method is employed to study the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft, enhanced with a viscous drag prediction method to estimate the lift-to-drag ratio. Weight of the aircraft is estimated using a combination of empirical and analytical methods. A constrained optimization algorithm is employed that minimizes fuel consumption, ensuring commonality in terms of design-variable values between family members. Comparing the resulting two largest family members to their conventional twin-aisle counterparts shows a 20% and 22% reduction fuel burn, respectively. The smaller two family members feature 100% commonality with the largest family member allowing for further reduction in fuel consumption if this constraint is relaxed. Driving parameters in Flying-V family design are the center-of-gravity excursion during flight, the wing span and the fuel tank volume.
AB - The Flying V is a flying-wing aircraft, which promises a 20% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a conventional twin-aisle commercial transport. The passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks are all integrated into a highly-swept, cranked wing. This study presents the conceptual design of a three-member family of Flying-V aircraft with maximal commonality between the family members. A design process is proposed to automate the synthesis process of the aircraft family comprising all relevant disciplinary analysis methods. A vortex-lattice method is employed to study the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft, enhanced with a viscous drag prediction method to estimate the lift-to-drag ratio. Weight of the aircraft is estimated using a combination of empirical and analytical methods. A constrained optimization algorithm is employed that minimizes fuel consumption, ensuring commonality in terms of design-variable values between family members. Comparing the resulting two largest family members to their conventional twin-aisle counterparts shows a 20% and 22% reduction fuel burn, respectively. The smaller two family members feature 100% commonality with the largest family member allowing for further reduction in fuel consumption if this constraint is relaxed. Driving parameters in Flying-V family design are the center-of-gravity excursion during flight, the wing span and the fuel tank volume.
UR - https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-3200.vid
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135068615&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2514/6.2022-3200
DO - 10.2514/6.2022-3200
M3 - Conference contribution
T3 - AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum
BT - AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum
PB - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc. (AIAA)
T2 - AIAA AVIATION 2022 Forum
Y2 - 27 June 2022 through 1 July 2022
ER -