Structural optimization of the wing box for a hybrid-electric commuter aircraft

Abstract

Hybrid-electric commuter aircraft segment is playing a significant role in the electrification of air transportation. Towards the achievement of efficient and robust transportation, design and optimization processes are necessary to evaluate the different aircraft components. Within this context, the current work investigates the impact of the positioning of the propulsion system and spars on the structural integrity of a hybrid-electric commuter aircraft. The proposed approach is based on an in-house aircraft sizing tool, along with geometry generation and high-fidelity structural evaluation models. These tools are tailored in an automated computational pipeline, that includes pre-processing, model evaluation and post-processing tasks, able to perform design space exploration and optimization over different loading conditions of a selected mission envelope. This work focuses on the assessment of the impact of the additional non-structural weight e.g., batteries, fuel, and propulsion components, inside the wing box, on the stress, deformation and spanwise thickness distribution of the structure. The effect of spars and propulsion system positioning on the available storage space, maximum stress and displacement is discussed, with the aft spar having the greatest impact. Finally, the structural model is optimized to minimize the mass, resulting in a 29% weight reduction, compared to the initial design.