A Form-Finding Approach to the Geometric Modelling of Aircraft Sub-Systems

In this paper we propose a parametric form-finding approach to the rapid, automated geometric design of aircraft sub-systems. The fundamental idea is to solve common sub-system design problems, like cabling and packaging, through lightweight, physics-based modelling `metaphors' that result in behaviours that allow the components of the system to `find' realistic positions in space that satisfy a range of engineering and geometrical constraints. The resulting design, while, at this stage, often lacking the subtlety of the solution a skilled engineer would be able to generate, has the advantage of being not only automated, but also fast enough to enable it to serve as the highly realistic constraint of a higher level optimization problem, the final optimum of which can then be `polished' manually by the design team. We demonstrate the approach through the design of the `Electric Wing', a parametric geometry demonstrator featuring a distributed electric propulsion system and a set of structural battery packs designed to power it.