Computational Approaches for Aerospace Design: The Pursuit of Excellence

Over the last fifty years, the ability to carry out analysis as a precursor to decision making in engineering design has increased dramatically. In particular, the advent of modern computing systems and the development of advanced numerical methods have made computational modelling a vital tool for producing optimized designs. This text explores how computer aided analysis has revolutionized aerospace engineering, providing a comprehensive coverage of the latest technologies underpinning advanced computational design. Worked case studies and over 500 references to the primary research literature allow the reader to gain a full understanding of the technology, giving a valuable insight into the world's most complex engineering systems. This book includes background information on the history of aerospace design and established optimization, geometrical and mathematical modelling techniques, setting recent engineering developments in a relevant context. It examines the latest methods such as evolutionary and response surface based optimization, adjoint and numerically differentiated sensitivity codes, uncertainty analysis, and concurrent systems integration schemes using grid based computing. Methods are illustrated with real world applications of structural statics, dynamics and fluid mechanics to satellite, aircraft and aero engine design problems. Senior undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students taking courses in aerospace, vehicle and engine design will find this a valuable resource. It will also be useful for practising engineers and researchers working on computational approaches to design.