Evolutionary shape optimization of transonic airfoils for aerodynamic and aeroelastic performance

The ongoing use and development of optimization frameworks for aircraft design is due to their ability to identify optimal and often non-intuitive shapes pertaining to the multi-disciplinary design criteria. Airfoil design is a continuously revised multi-disciplinary problem in the literature, and is pivotal to illustrate the performance of optimization frameworks involving numerical simulation, flexible shape parameterization, and intelligent evolutionary algorithms. An often overlooked component of this classic problem is to consider the dynamic aeroelastic behavior under trim conditions, which can impose explicit boundaries to the flight envelope. In this paper, a multiobjective particle swarm optimization framework is presented, pertaining to aerodynamic and aeroelastic design criteria at the trim condition. Designer preferences are used to reflect the optimal compromise between the objectives. Results of the optimization process indicate a large spread in design variable influence and interaction, and a subtle yet clear distinction between all objectives is illustrated through the final airfoil shapes obtained.