A Paradigm-Shift in Aerospace Vehicle Design Synthesis and Technology Forecasting

Classically, aerospace design synthesis methodologies have been developed for a specified problem, with limited or no adaptability and expandability for application to a new problem not considered in the original development. This inability eventually limits the application of a conventional ASDS towards exploration of novel concepts. Thus, the institutions using their proprietary legacy ASDS systems become confined within the product and technology range which is imposed by their system’s limitations. Such a scenario presents a grave situation as it hinders innovation and exploration at the conceptual stage, the design phase where design freedom is maximum. In response to this need, a new modular system is being developed, tested, and applied at the Aerospace Vehicle Design (AVD) Laboratory at the University of Texas at Arlington. The system, called as the Aerospace Vehicle Design Database Management System (AVD-DBMS, or simply the DBMS), provides a unique capability of developing custom-tailored sizing codes specific to the problem at hand. In this regard, the DBMS is not a synthesis system by itself. Rather, it is a system that creates custom problem-specific synthesis architectures tailor made to address the needs of the user. Such a capability represents a paradigm-shift in the way conceptual design has been traditionally implemented. This paper presents an overview of the research effort of six researchers over a span of eight years. The primary focus of this paper is to provide the conceptual solution logic, the development process and system specification of the DBMS. Additionally, four distinct case-studies are presented that demonstrate DBMS’s superior capability to explore novel design concepts and provide the decision-maker with informed and smart decision-making support.