No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No / This study explores the lateral deflections of diagonal braces in concentrically-braced earthquake-resisting frames. The performance of this widely-used system is often compromised by the flexural buckling of slender braces in compression. In addition to reducing the compressive resistance, buckling may also cause these members to undergo sizeable lateral deflections which could damage surrounding structural components. Different approaches have been used in the past to predict the mid-length lateral deflections of cyclically loaded steel braces based on their theoretical deformed geometry or by using experimental data. Expressions have been proposed relating the mid-length lateral deflection to the axial displacement ductility of the member. Recent experiments were conducted on hollow and concrete-filled circular hollow section (CHS) braces of different lengths under cyclic loading. Very slender, concrete-filled tubular braces exhibited a highly ductile response, undergoing large axial displacements prior to failure. The presence of concrete infill did not influence the magnitude of lateral deflection in relation to the axial displacement, but did increase the number of cycles endured and the maximum axial displacement achieved. The corresponding lateral deflections exceeded the deflections observed in the majority of the previous experiments that were considered. Consequently, predictive expressions from previous research did not accurately predict the mid-height lateral deflections of these CHS members. Mid-length lateral deflections were found to be influenced by the member non-dimensional slenderness ( ) and hence a new expression was proposed for the lateral deflection in terms of member slenderness and axial displacement ductility. / TATA Steel

Recent investigations of a strut-braced wing (SBW) aircraft show that, at high positive load factors, a large tensile force in the strut leads to a considerable compressive axial force in the inner wing, resulting in a reduced bending stiffness and even buckling of the wing. Studying the influence of this compressive force on the structural response of SBW is thus of paramount importance in the early stage of SBW design. The purpose of the this research is to investigate the effect of compressive force on aeroelastic stability of the SBW using efficient structural finite element and aerodynamic lifting surface methods. A procedure is developed to generate wing stiffness distribution for detailed and simplified wing models and to include the compressive force effect in the SBW aeroelastic analysis. A sensitivity study is performed to generate response surface equations for the wing flutter speed as functions of several design variables. These aeroelastic procedures and response surface equations provide a valuable tool and trend data to study the unconventional nature of SBW. In order to estimate the effect of the compressive force, the inner part of the wing structure is modeled as a beam-column. A structural finite element method is developed based on an analytical stiffness matrix formulation of a non-uniform beam element with arbitrary polynomial variations in the cross section. By using this formulation, the number of elements to model the wing structure can be reduced without degrading the accuracy. The unsteady aerodynamic prediction is based on a discrete element lifting surface method. The present formulation improves the accuracy of existing lifting surface methods by implementing a more rigorous treatment on the aerodynamic kernel integration. The singularity of the kernel function is isolated by implementing an exact expansion series to solve an incomplete cylindrical function problem. A hybrid doublet lattice/doublet point scheme is devised to reduce the computational time. SBW aircraft selected for the present study is the fuselage-mounted engine configuration. The results indicate that the detrimental effect of the compressive force to the wing buckling and flutter speed is significant if the wing-strut junction is placed near the wing tip. / Ph. D.

This study highlights the aeroelastic behavior of very flexible truss-braced wing (TBW) aircraft designs obtained through a multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) framework. Several improvements to previous analysis methods were developed and validated. Firstly, a flutter constraint was developed and the effects of the constraint on the MDO of TBW transport aircraft for both medium-range and long-range missions were studied while minimizing the take-off gross weight (TOGW) and the fuel burn as the objective functions. Results show that when the flutter constraint is applied at 1.15 times the dive speed, it imposes a 1.5% penalty on the take-off weight and a 5% penalty on the fuel consumption while minimizing these two objective functions for the medium-range mission. For the long-range mission, the penalties imposed by the similar constraint on the minimum TOGW and minimum fuel burn designs are 3.5% and 7.5%, respectively. Importantly, the resulting TBW designs are still superior to equivalent cantilever designs for both of the missions as they have both lower TOGW and fuel burn. However, a relaxed flutter constraint applied at 1.05 times the dive speed can restrict the penalty on the TOGW to only 0.3% and that on the fuel burn to 2% for minimizing both the objectives, for the medium-range mission. For the long-range mission, a similar relaxed constraint can reduce the penalty on fuel burn to 2.9%. These observations suggest further investigation into active flutter suppression mechanisms for the TBW aircraft to further reduce either the TOGW or the fuel burn. Secondly, the effects of a variable-geometry raked wingtip (VGRWT) on the maneuverability and aeroelastic behavior of passenger aircraft with very flexible truss-braced wings (TBW) were investigated. These TBW designs obtained from the MDO environment while minimizing fuel burn resemble a Boeing 777-200 Long Range (LR) aircraft both in terms of flight mission and aircraft configuration. The VGRWT can sweep forward and aft relative to the wing with the aid of a Novel Control Effector (NCE) mechanism. Results show that the VGRWT can be swept judiciously to alter the bending-torsion coupling and the movement of the center of pressure of wing. Such behavior of the VGRWT is applied to both achieve the required roll control as well as to increase flutter speed, and thus, enable the operation of TBW configurations which have up to 10% lower fuel burn than comparable optimized cantilever wing designs. Finally, a transonic aeroelastic analysis tool was developed which can be used for conceptual design in an MDO environment. Routine transonic aeroelastic analysis require expensive CFD simulations, hence they cannot be performed in an MDO environment. The present approach utilizes the results of a companion study of CFD simulations performed offline for the steady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations for a variety of airfoil parameters. The CFD results are used to develop a response surface which can be used in the MDO environment to perform a Leishman-Beddoes (LB) indicial functions based flutter analysis. A reduced-order model (ROM) is also developed for the unsteady aerodynamic system. Validation of the strip theory based aeroelastic analysis with LB unsteady aerodynamics and the computational efficiency and accuracy of the ROM is demonstrated. Finally, transonic aeroelastic analysis of a TBW aircraft designed for the medium-range flight mission similar to a Boeing 737 next generation (NG) with a cruise Mach number of 0.8 is presented. The results show the potential of the present approach to perform a more accurate, yet inexpensive, flutter analysis for MDO studies of transonic transport aircraft which are expected to undergo flutter at transonic conditions. / Ph. D.

This study presents a new Python-based novel framework, in a distributed computing environment for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) called DELWARX. DELWARX also includes a transonic flutter analysis approach that is computationally very efficient, yet accurate enough for conceptual design and optimization studies. This transonic flutter analysis approach is designed for large aspect-ratio wings and attached flow. The framework employs particle swarm optimization with penalty functions for exploring optimal Transonic Truss Braced Wing (TTBW) aircraft design, similar to the Boeing 737-800 type of mission with a cruise Mach of 0.8, a range of 3115 n miles, and 162 passengers, with two different objective functions, the fuel weight and the maximum take-off gross weight, while satisfying all the required constraints. Proper memory management is applied to effectively address memory-related issues, which are often a limiting factor in distributed computing. The parallel implementation in MDO using 60 processors allowed a reduction in the wall-clock time by 96% which is around 24 times faster than the optimization using a single processor. The results include a comparison of the TTBW designs for the medium-range missions with and without the flutter constraint. Importantly, the framework achieves extremely low computation times due to its parallel optimization capability, retains all the previous functionalities of the previous Virginia Tech MDO framework, and replaces the previously employed linear flutter analysis with a more accurate nonlinear transonic flutter computation. These features of DELWARX are expected to facilitate a more accurate MDO study for innovative transport aircraft configurations operating in the transonic flight regime. High-fidelity CFD simulation is performed to verify the result obtained from extended Strip theory based aerodynamic analysis method. An approach is presented to develop a deep neural network (DNN)-based surrogate model for fast and accurate prediction of flutter constraints in multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) of Transonic Truss Braced Wing (TTBW) aircraft in the transonic region. The integration of the surrogate model in the MDO framework shows lower computation times than the MDO with nonlinear flutter analysis. The developed surrogate models can predict the optimum design. The wall-clock time of the design analysis method was reduced by 1500 times as compared to the result implemented in the previous framework, DELWARX. / Doctor of Philosophy / The current study presents DELWARX, a novel Python-based framework specifically engineered for the optimization of aircraft designs, with a primary focus on enhancing the performance of aircraft wings under transonic conditions (speeds approaching the speed of sound). This advancement is particularly pertinent for aircraft with a mission analogous to the Boeing 737-800, which necessitates a harmonious balance between speed, range, passenger capacity, and fuel efficiency. A salient feature of DELWARX is its adeptness in analyzing and optimizing wing flutter, a critical issue where wings may experience hazardous vibrations at certain velocities. This is particularly vital for wings characterized by a high aspect ratio (wings that are long and narrow), presenting a substantial challenge in the domain of aircraft design. DELWARX surpasses preceding methodologies by implementing a sophisticated computational technique known as particle swarm optimization, analogous to the collective movement observed in bird flocks, integrated with penalty functions that serve to exclude design solutions that fail to meet predefined standards. This approach is akin to navigating through a maze with specific pathways rendered inaccessible due to certain constraints. The efficiency of DELWARX is markedly enhanced by its ability to distribute computational tasks across 60 processors, achieving a computation speed that is 24 times faster than that of a single-processor operation. This distribution results in a significant reduction of overall computation time by 96%, representing a substantial advancement in processing efficiency. Further, DELWARX introduces an enhanced level of precision in its operations. It supplants former methods of flutter analysis with a more sophisticated, nonlinear approach tailored for transonic speeds. Consequently, the framework's predictions and optimization strategies for aircraft wing designs are imbued with increased reliability and accuracy. Moreover, DELWARX also integrates a Deep Neural Network (DNN), an advanced form of artificial intelligence, to swiftly and precisely predict flutter constraints. This integration manifests as a highly intelligent system capable of instantaneously estimating the performance of various designs, thereby expediting the optimization process. DELWARX employs high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to verify its findings. These simulations utilize intricate models to simulate the aerodynamics of air flow over aircraft wings, thereby ensuring that the optimized designs are not only theoretically sound but also pragmatically effective. In conclusion, DELWARX represents a significant leap in the field of multidisciplinary design optimization. It offers a robust and efficient tool for the design of aircraft wings, especially in the context of transonic flight. This framework heralds a new era in the optimization of aircraft designs, enabling more innovative and efficient solutions in the aerospace industry.

A significant improvement can be achieved in the performance of transonic transport aircraft using Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) by implementing truss-braced wing concepts in combination with other advanced technologies and novel design innovations. A considerable reduction in drag can be obtained by using a high aspect ratio wing with thin airfoil sections and tip-mounted engines. However, such wing structures could suffer from a significant weight penalty. Thus, the use of an external strut or a truss bracing is promising for weight reduction. Due to the unconventional nature of the proposed concept, commonly available wing weight equations for transport aircraft will not be sufficiently accurate. Hence, a bending material weight calculation procedure was developed to take into account the influence of the strut upon the wing weight, and this was coupled to the Flight Optimization System (FLOPS) for total wing weight estimation. The wing bending material weight for single-strut configurations is estimated by modeling the wing structure as an idealized double-plate model using a piecewise linear load method. Two maneuver load conditions 2.5g and -1.0g factor of safety of 1.5 and a 2.0g taxi bump are considered as the critical load conditions to determine the wing bending material weight. From preliminary analyses, the buckling of the strut under the -1.0g load condition proved to be the critical structural challenge. To address this issue, an innovative design strategy introduces a telescoping sleeve mechanism to allow the strut to be inactive during negative g maneuvers and active during positive g maneuvers. Also, more wing weight reduction is obtained by optimizing the strut force, a strut offset length, and the wing-strut junction location. The best configuration shows a 9.2% savings in takeoff gross weight, an 18.2% savings in wing weight and a 15.4% savings in fuel weight compared to a cantilever wing counterpart. / Master of Science

No description available.

Seismic-resistant steel eccentrically braced frames (EBFs) are designed so that that yielding during earthquake loading is restricted primarily to the ductile links. To achieve this behavior, all members other than the link are designed to be stronger than the link, i.e. to develop the capacity of the link. However, satisfying these capacity design requirements for the beam segment outside of the link can be difficult in the overall design process of an EBF. In some cases, it may be necessary to make significant changes to the configuration of the EBF in order to satisfy beam design requirements. If this discovery is made late in the design process, such changes can be costly. The overall goal of this research was to develop guidelines for preliminary design of EBFs that will result in configurations where the beam is likely to satisfy capacity design requirements. Simplified approximate equations were developed to predict the axial force and moment in the beam segment outside of the link when link ultimate strength is developed. These equations, although approximate, provided significant insight into variables that affect capacity design of the beam. These equations were then used to conduct an extensive series of parametric studies on a wide variety of EBF configurations. The results of these studies show that the most important variables affecting beam design are 1) the nondimensional link length, 2) the ratio of web area to total area for the wide flange section used for the beam and link, 3) the angle between the brace and the beam, and 4) the flexural stiffness of the brace relative to the beam. Recommendations are provided for selection of values for these variables in preliminary design. / text