Conceptualized and developed in the AVD Laboratory, the AVDS (Aerospace Vehicle Design Synthesis) system is a novel parametric multi-fidelity digital engineering simulation environment that covers the product development life-cycle from early mission definition through virtual flight testing and evaluation to simulated incident and accident investigation. This system operates in three primary modes: (1) Aerospace Vehicle Design, (2) Technology Forecasting, and (3) Strategic Decision-Maker Support.
The horizontal axis is presenting the actual design life-cycle via a left-to-right information flow. AVDS is initiated at the (a) conceptual design (CD) phase followed by the (b) preliminary design (PD) phase. Clearly, AVDS is covering the entire product formulation phases, which are preceding the product implementation phases. The product implementation phases like detail design (DD) and follow on phases are excluded since they are formally outside the design domain.
The vertical axis is presenting the development steps required towards providing the project engineers with custom-built support tools via a bottom-to-top information flow. That vertical sequence is required to execute the horizontal sequential steps throughout the design life-cycle. Dependent on the problem to solve, the tool-suite is custom developed to facilitate the most effective formulation or problem-solving methodology, process and software. Each design phase buildup is initiated at the (a) decomposition warehouse domain, followed by the (b) synthesis code generation domain, by final reaching the (c) design execution domain. The first two steps are typically administered by the software development team, whereby the third step is the user domain for the actual project engineer team.
AVDS Tool Development and Design Execution Domains
The AVDS (Aerospace Vehicle Design Synthesis) methodology and software integrates a novel aerospace library system integrated into a data-base or warehouse management & storage environment. The specific character of each design phase is enabling each corresponding warehouse compendium to store entries stemming from the past-to-the-present for the specific flight vehicle category of interest. Clearly, this foundational first step, which is in place for each individual design sub-phase, is the primer for everything which follows.
- Reference Library
The unique AVD Laboratory hypersonic vehicle reference library is partially available in digital format, but the majority of original references are only available in paper format. The first author and director of the AVD Laboratory has been developing a dedicated aircraft conceptual design reference library since the early 1990s.
The VCC system is preserving & making available effortlessly the relevant body of parametric vehicle design understanding developed over a span of 60 years in a practical computer-integrated software.
- Variables Library
Since hypersonic vehicle design is a physics-driven activity, the organization of disciplinary analysis is organized via gross-design variables into a multi-disciplinary synthesis methodology and computer-based software. For each analysis discipline considered (e.g. aerodynamics and s&c), relevant primary and secondary variables are identified.
- Methods Library
The disciplinary methods library is a library of estimation methods for aerodynamics, propulsion, weight and balance, performance, cost, etc. Each method is broken down in a concise manner focusing on the applicability, assumptions and basic procedure of the method. From this organization scheme the researcher is in the position to identify the availability and the lack of available sizing methods for specific design problems.
- Process Library
The design process library represents a comprehensive collection and comparison of both, (a) hands-on and (b) computational approaches to aircraft conceptual design. Yielding a clear understanding of how each legacy design process has been approached and what improvements can be compiled into a best practice design process. In addition to describing the physical integration of each process, the process library contains summary tables which highlight key attributes of the individual process. Most processes are configuration or technology specific. In other words, the process takes advantage of configuration assumptions in order to expedient process execution.
- Deliverables Library
The disciplinary deliverables library is a collection and analysis of the data which must be compiled at each step during the conceptual design processes whilst yielding a clear understanding of what data and visualizations must be produced to present meaningful results generated for each discipline (e.g. aerodynamics, propulsion) and in the multi-disciplinary synthesis context (e.g. system sensitivities). Furthermore, the deliverable library collects example decision-making deliverables and provides a template for presenting information.
The goal of the synthesis code generation domain is to tailor-make synthesis systems for aerospace vehicle conceptual design (PS and CE) and preliminary design (PD). Note that a single PS evaluation my require multiple synthesis codes, each modeled to enable a correct comparison of dissimilar flight vehicle configuration/concept arrangements. This AVDS approach to the formulation of a generic synthesis methodology and software is the first ever one of its kind has never happened before. The systems engineering (SE) process has been applied to create a decomposition methodology aimed at reducing an aerospace synthesis system into its constituent building blocks, namely vehicle library, process library, and (disciplinary) methods library. Modeling & simulation (M&S) composability has been applied to create a composition methodology, with the capability to create a tailor-made synthesis code through the composition of those building blocks. This composition process contains four sequential steps: (1) matching, (2) selecting, (3) arranging, and (4) generating. Clearly, a generic methodology has been defined for the consistent modeling of a variety of aerospace vehicle configurations, thereby enabling correct merit comparisons.
The vehicle initiation step is defining a trade matrix consisting of mission trades, operation trades, hardware trades, and industry capability (IC) versus technology capability (TC) trades. A series of consistent PS-level synthesis systems are generated in the synthesis code generation domain. The execution of this set of synthesis codes results in a set of standard PS-deliverables. Those key deliverables are custom formulated to address the following stakeholders: (a) decision-maker, (b) integrator, and (c) specialist. The primary deliverable type are the continuum solution-space topographies (vehicle topography) which provide a unique inside into the physical sensitivity of the product, enabling the design team to identify prospective baseline vehicle alternatives.
History
The pre-requisites to enabling the development of AVDS are summarized. The enabling characteristics are summarized as follows: (A) 30 years of cross-cultural industry research & academic work with multiple organizations. (B) Specialization in aerospace vehicle design, applied research focusing on novel subsonic to hypersonic aircraft & reusable space launch vehicles. (C) Development of a novel digital engineering aerospace vehicle & architecture design methodology and software AVDS with potential towards the first-generation artificial intelligence (AI) design environment. (D) Utilization of a digital engineering environment based on hybrid natural intelligence & artificial intelligence (NI+AI) decision-making rules and system-level modeling & simulation (M&S). (E) Design proficiency covering full spectrum of airspeeds (subsonic to hypersonic, expendable/reusable space launch, in-space elements, space return) and air & space architecture planning. (F) Holistic system level approach to aerospace conceptual design R&D by simulating key design life-cycle phases (from sizing to simulated flight test & certification & operation). (G) One-of-a-kind professional private collection of subsonic to hypersonic & space launch vehicle design sources of technical knowledge on the subject published in the U.S., Germany, France, England and Russia. (H) Highly-structured synergistic approach to aerospace research and teaching. Figure 6.3 is summarizing the enabling exposure of the first author since 1989 and founding of the AVD Laboratory in 2002 towards the evolution of AVDS.
