An Automated Framework for Streamlined CFD-Based Design and Optimization of Fixed-Wing UAV Wings

• Published in: Algorithms Vol. 18; no. 4; p. 186
• Main Authors: Pliakos, Chris, Efrem, Giorgos, Terzis, Dimitrios, Panagiotou, Pericles
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2025
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Aircraft configurations; Algorithms; Analysis; Automation; Aviation; Case studies; CFD automation; Configuration management; Design optimization; Efficiency; Energy consumption; Fixed wings; fixed-wing UAV; Geometry; Mechanical engineers; Mechanization; Optimization; Pipelining (computers); Rapid prototyping; Software; uncertainty; Unmanned aerial vehicles; Wing design; United States; Virginia
• ISSN: 1999-4893; 1999-4893
• DOI: 10.3390/a18040186

The increasing complexity of the UAV aerodynamic design, imposed by novel configurations and requirements, has highlighted the need for efficient tools for high-fidelity simulation, especially for optimization purposes. The current work presents an automated CFD framework, tailored for fixed-wing UAVs, designed to streamline the geometry generation of wings, mesh creation, and simulation execution into a Python-based pipeline. The framework employs a parameterized meshing module capable of handling a broad range of wing geometries within an extensive design space, thereby reducing manual effort and achieving pre-processing times in the order of five minutes. Incorporating GPU-enabled solvers and high-performance computing environments allows for rapid and scalable aerodynamic evaluations. An automated methodology for assessing the CFD results is presented, addressing the discretization and iterative errors, as well as grid resolution, especially near wall surfaces. Comparisons with the results produced by a specialized mechanical engineer with over five years of experience in aircraft-related CFD indicate high accuracy, with deviations below 3% for key aerodynamic metrics. A large-scale deployment further demonstrates consistency across diverse wing samples. A Bayesian Optimization case study then illustrates the framework’s utility, identifying a wing design with an 8% improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio, while maintaining an average y+ value below 1 along the surface. Overall, the proposed approach streamlines fixed-wing UAV design processes and supports advanced aerodynamic optimization and data generation.