Design optimization in aerospace engineering focuses on developing advanced methodologies to address the complex challenges of modern aerospace vehicle design. This includes multi-disciplinary optimization procedures tailored to the design of the next generation of fixed-wing aircraft and spacecraft. These processes can involve a variety of approaches, including topology optimization, shape optimization, and sizing optimization, depending on the specific design.

In the case of aircraft design, a key aspect of design optimization involves exploiting aeroelastic effects for improved overall efficiency. This can be achieved through interdisciplinary analyses or by embedding fluid-structure interaction techniques. The primary challenge lies in efficiently combining design optimization with equally advanced fluid-structure interaction methods, enabling a seamless integration of these disciplines to address the increasingly complex requirements of aerospace vehicles.

Among the potential applications of these approaches is the design of innovative structures, such as morphing structures. Dedicated aero-structural approaches are employed to ensure optimal integration of structural and aerodynamic performance in such advanced designs.

This research area focuses on developing a specialized Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) framework to study the complex interactions between fluid flows and structures. Computational techniques are employed to couple medium- or high-fidelity aerodynamic simulations with structural analyses, addressing a wide range of static and dynamic problems encountered in aerospace engineering.

High-fidelity simulations utilize Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to resolve detailed flow behaviors, capturing effects of phenomena such as turbulence, shock waves, and vortex shedding. Medium-fidelity models offer a more computationally efficient approach, enabling the simulation of interactions between wakes and solid bodies, which is especially valuable in the presence of turboprop engines. The framework is designed to capture nonlinear phenomena, including large deformations and material nonlinearities, which are essential to accurately describe the behavior of highly flexible structures, even when subjected to dynamic aerodynamic load.

One of the significant challenges in this field is the integration of these advanced techniques into design optimization processes. Moreover, the developed framework supports the virtual testing of novel aeronautical structures, allowing for evaluation of design alternatives without the need for physical prototypes. This approach plays a significant role in the development of more efficient, robust, and lightweight aerospace vehicle designs.

Morphing structures represent cutting-edge technology in aerospace engineering, focused on developing innovative wing designs capable of continuously adapting their external shape in response to varying operating conditions. Through time-varying adaptation, these structures allow aerospace systems to optimize performance across the entire flight envelope, adjusting to mission requirements or external changes.

The key benefits of morphing structures include more efficient maneuvers, enhanced aerodynamic efficiency, reduced structural mass, and a significant decrease in the required actuation force. Additionally, morphing structures can be designed to offer a broad actuation bandwidth, enabling a wider range of operational flexibility.

Designing these adaptive structures requires specialized tools and methodologies. This includes design optimization approaches that combine aerodynamic shape optimization, topology optimization, and sizing to achieve the desired performance. Depending on the application, these morphing structures can be passive or combined with active control technologies to further enhance their adaptability and effectiveness.

In this research area, the design of compliant mechanisms is also explored to optimize actuation systems used in aerospace vehicles. These mechanisms can enhance the efficiency and performance of actuators by reducing weight, minimizing complexity, extending the fatigue life, and enabling smoother, more reliable motion.

Aeroelastic Wind Tunnel Testing plays a crucial role in the experimental validation of innovative concepts within aerospace engineering. This research focuses on conducting wind tunnel tests to evaluate the dynamic and aeroelastic behavior of aircraft designs. Scaled models of next-generation fixed-wing aircraft are used in these tests to replicate the real aircraft's aerodynamic and structural performance under various flight conditions.

In addition to scaled models, full-scale demonstrators are developed to represent prototypes of actual wings or advanced devices integrated into the wing, such as morphing structures and active control systems. These demonstrators provide critical insights into the real-world performance and behavior of innovative aerospace technologies, enabling the fine-tuning and optimization of design concepts before they are implemented in operational aircraft.