Development of a Toolchain for Aero-structural Design of Composite AWE Kites

The earlier in the design process the trade-offs between a system’s cost and its performance can be determined, the easier it is to narrowin on an optimal final design. In order to explore the initial design space for composite carbon kites, it is imperative to assess the load couplings effects and its impact on the aerodynamics of the wing, and ultimately the performance of the system’s yield. CFD and 3D finite element methods are currently too computationally expensive to efficiently explore the design space at such an early stage of the design process. This leads to the need for a toolchain that has sufficient modelling fidelity while being efficient enough to be used for conceptual design. An efficient aero-structural toolchain is the focus of this work.