Aerodynamic Analysis and Optimization

Completed an undergraduate aerodynamics research project focused on optimizing wing geometry for a simple airframe. I used Julia-based modeling and nonlinear optimization tools to analyze chord and twist distributions and compare aerodynamic performance. The project demonstrates computational analysis, technical research, and performance-oriented engineering design.

Role
Undergraduate Researcher
Team
BYU FLOW Lab Airframe Design Track
Duration
October 2023 - April 2024
Outcome
Implemented optimization workflows that converged to elliptical chord and twist distributions for a simple airframe.
Core Tools
Julia, VortexLattice, SNOW, ParaView, Aerodynamic Optimization
View on GitHub FLOW Lab Airframe Design Track
Visualization of optimized wing geometry and aerodynamic analysis outputs from the airframe design project.

Overview

This project focused on aerodynamic analysis and design optimization for a simple airframe. Key design variables such as chord and twist were optimized using VortexLattice for aerodynamic modeling and SNOW for nonlinear optimization and derivative computation.

Key Contributions

  • Performed airfoil analysis through computational fluid dynamics workflows
  • Modeled airframe behavior using the vortex lattice method
  • Solved optimization problems for aerodynamic wing design

Timeline

  • Duration: October 2023 - April 2024
  • Total time: 90 hours
  • Time commitment: 2-3 hours per week for 32 weeks

Results

Airfoil Analysis

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Airframe Analysis and Optimization

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Main Accomplishments

The project solved two optimization problems:

  1. Creating an elliptical chord distribution for an untwisted wing
  2. Creating an elliptical twist distribution for a rectangular wing

Elliptical Chord Distribution

I used ParaView to analyze the chord values generated by the optimization solver.

Top view of wing

Plot of chord distribution

Elliptical Twist Distribution

I again used ParaView to visualize the wing. This image is a side view of a rectangular wing, showing the distribution of twist along the span.

Side view of rectangular wing

Coefficient of lift distribution for the twisted wing

Technical Skills