Presenter: Brigham Ostergaard
Authors: Brigham Ostergaard, Ryan Anderson
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Ning
Institution: Brigham Young University
The object of this research is to capture unsteady wake interactions using a vortex particle method and extracting derivatives for use in design optimization of eVTOL aircraft. We are doing so by creating an integrated geometric solver capable of communicating with OpenVSP and GeometricTools, a geometric engine produced at BYU. This will enable evaluations of current lab designs as well as models stored in the OpenVSP database. Current geometric engines used in conjunction with current lab packages carry necessary characteristics in creating generic and abstract surface geometries. Such geometries allow for the convenient evaluation of aerodynamic forces used in modeling and validating system functionality against other test cases. However, current methods do not allow for design optimization by passing necessary derivatives through design variables. Further resources are also required to model another important behavior, ground effect. By integrating the capabilities of multiple geometric engines and by incorporating extra functionality, we hope to resolve both challenges.