Title: Virtual Flight Simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics
Abstract: This chapter presents recent advances in the development of high-fidelity simulation software for virtual flight testing of unconventional and next-generation aircraft. It discusses the accurate and efficient simulation of the full set of physics associated with aircraft flight operations, including flight control, aerodynamics and structural dynamics. The described methods were developed to address the need for a robust and systematic conceptual design tool for unconventional or next-generation aircraft. The chapter discusses the formulation, development and implementation of a novel method to increase iteratively the accuracy of the surrogate model. The adaptive design of experimental algorithm has been found adequate to capture local maxima and minima, improving over state-of-the-art methods, and satisfying the stringent constraint set on the maximum number of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations allowed within a given timeframe and without the use of exclusive high-performance computing (HPC).