Model-Based Approach for the Simultaneous Design of Airframe Components and their Production Process Using Dynamic MDAO Workflows

During the early design stages of airframe components, many possible design architectures and production methods need to be traded to find the best configuration. Evaluating different production methods can be challenging as different production methods put different requirements on the product to be designed. This paper presents a new methodology that enables the inclusion of manufacturing and assembly in the design process. By extending the architectural design space model with components of the production system, the design choices regarding production are made explicit. Through the modeling of product and production requirements and assigning them a verification method, a dynamic MDAO workflow is formulated. Within a dynamic workflow, the design variables, analysis tools, and constraints change depending on the current design vector. The methodology has been applied to the design and manufacturing of a wing rib in which two manufacturing options were traded: metal machining and composite stamp forming. The dynamic MDAO workflow successfully found the Pareto front for both manufacturing methods. The main benefit is that only one workflow needed to be formulated and executed, whereas previously a separate MDAO workflow needed to be created for each combination of product design and production method. Overall, the newly presented methodology enables the optimization and trade-off between different production methods while ensuring the design complies with the production-specific requirements.