Meta-modeling and multi-objective optimization in aircraft design

Design and analysis methods for multidisciplinary design and multi-objective optimization of aircraft are continuously improving in accuracy and reliability. Correspondingly, the increased computational complexity leads to high costs in terms of time, effort and money, needed for these analyses. In order to drastically reduce these costs, so-called meta-models based on fitting methods can be used. This chapter presents methodologies in which various advanced interpolation and approximation techniques and optimization algorithms are applied in a meta-model based optimization approach for aircraft design problems. These methodologies are demonstrated in a multi-objective optimization study of aircraft design in terms of range and fuel consumption. The results demonstrate the flexibility and the potential of these methodologies by tackling a complex design optimization problem at a relatively low computational cost and sufficient accuracy of the metamodels applied. Because of their computational efficiency, the meta-modeling methodologies allow for a significant timeand cost-effective assessment of high-dimensional design problems involving large scale