New conceptual design of aeroelastic wing structures by multi-objective optimization

Internal structural layouts and component sizes of aircraft wing structures have a significant impact on aircraft performance such as aeroelastic characteristics and mass. This work presents an approach to achieve simultaneous partial topology and sizing optimization of a three-dimensional wing-box structure. A multi-objective optimization problem is assigned to optimize lift effectiveness, buckling factor and mass of a structure. Design constraints include divergence and flutter speeds, buckling factor and stresses. The topology and sizing design variables for wing internal components are based on a ground element approach. The design problem is solved by multi-objective population-based incremental learning (MOPBIL). The Pareto optimum results lead to unconventional wing structures that are superior to their conventional counterparts.