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Optimization of Revenue Space of a Blended Wing Body OPTIMIZATION OF REVENUE SPACE OF A BLENDED WING BODY Jörg Fuchte, Till Pfeiffer, Pier Davide Ciampa, Björn Nagel, Volker Gollnick German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Air Transportation Systems, Hamburg, Germany Keywords: blended wing body, preliminary aircraft design, cabin Abstract The revenue space of an aircraft consists of the The current aircraft configuration type, passenger cabin and the cargo hold. In case of consisting of a tubular fuselage and wings, has passenger aircraft, the most important parameter reached its maturation limit, and it is is the cabin floor area. It correlates directly with approaching the end of its growth potential. the possible number of passengers. Blended First, the limitation to 80m overall length limits Wing Body concepts do not have a tubular the capacity of the fuselage. Second, the weight fuselage. The cabin can be arranged in different of the structural elements grows faster than the layouts within the aerodynamic shape. This added capacity [1]. Hence, even without paper analyses different concepts for passenger considering the reception of the market, the cabin and cargo hold arrangements, and technical viability of aircraft larger than the investigates their potential benefit. Conceptual A380 currently appears doubtful unless new methods are used to estimate the mass of the technologies are used. pressurized vessel. Three different aerodynamic shapes are being investigated. The basic A possible new technology is the blended wing conclusion is that BWBs are a useful alternative body. The BWB is essentially a large wing, beyond the capacity of current aircraft. Further, which houses a payload area within its center a twin deck arrangement appears as most section. The concept was originally introduced promising solution to maximize revenue in the late 1980ies and analyzed in the 1990ies. potential of the aircraft. The motivation of the BWB was primarily its superior aerodynamic efficiency compared to 1 Introduction conventional configurations. The concept promises to reduce the wetted area per available 1.1. Blended Wing Body Concept seat. A considerable advantage was shown in Since beginning of civil aircraft operation the comparison with a smaller version of the then average size of aircraft has grown considerably. A3XX [2]. While 25-35 passengers were normal capacities in the 1930ies, today’s aircraft in majority seat The BWB offers a number of design challenges. above 100 passengers. Wide body aircraft seat Besides the optimization of the aerodynamic several hundred passengers, and the largest shape, and the design for satisfactory handling aircraft in service is certified for up to 853 characteristics, the integration of the payload passengers. The growth in size has been enabled section still represents one of the challenges. by improved technologies. Larger aircraft Pressurization is necessary to offer a promise better economy in operation as their comfortable atmosphere at optimum cruising overall performance is better. altitude. The classic tubular fuselage offers a structurally very efficient shape for a 1.1 J. Fuchte, T. Pfeiffer, P. D. Ciampa, B. Nagel pressurized vessel. In case of the BWB, the monuments (e.g., lavatories and galleys), and integration of the payload section could follow for the exit lanes. Hence, the most important two different paths: parameter is the cabin floor area with sufficient height. The cargo hold is subject to similar I - Integral Concept: the entire section of the requirements, requiring a lower minimum center wing containing the payload is built-up as height. Irregularly shaped volumes are of low an integral pressurized vessel, hence the shape value for payload accommodation. While of the pressurized section is the one of the outer corners with reduced height may serve for some aerodynamic shape. In this the integrated purposes, irregular floor height is not useful for payload compartment offers a lower efficiency any payload. with respect to pressurization loads, when compared to the tubular shape. At the same time 1.2. Previous Work the aerodynamic shape should be kept The blended wing body has been subject of unaffected by pressurization. This may lead to a research for over 20 years. The attention substantial increase of the structural weight. focused on different areas. The arrangement of the payload section has been shown in various II - Segregated Concept: The pressure vessel is studies. The first was the BWB presented by mostly independent on the outer shape and can Liebeck. Liebeck presented both twin deck and be optimized for minimal structural weight, single deck layouts. An overview is presented in when subject to the only pressurization loads. [2]. Liebeck proposed cabins comparable to However, additional structural components need current single aisle layouts within the body to be provided to sustain the aerodynamic loads being separated by structural walls. Monuments on the external shape. are placed in different places. Both concepts have been investigated using a The MOB BWB configuration was the result of variety of methods in [2], [3] and [4]. The the European MOB project (A Computation configuration designed by NASA originally Design Engine Incorporating Multi‐Disciplinary used the first concept. However, an Design and Optimization for Blended Wing aerodynamic shape optimization has shown that Body Configuration) which was a cooperation the optimal solution is substantially different between the European universities, research from the initial baseline layout [5]. Thus, the institutes and industry in a research program of second concept was also considered. The three years duration [8]. The main objective of research project VELA also used the first the MOB project was to demonstrate the concept [6]. multidisciplinary design and the optimization of Further integral concepts are currently under innovative concepts. The primary purpose was investigation [AIAA 2014-0259]. NASA N+3 the development of a distributed and modular publications used the Integral Concept. design system aimed to exploit the disciplinary Researchers recently focused on the second expertise of each partner. The first baseline for concept, and looked into the detailed structural the BWB configuration was set up by Cranfield design necessary for minimum weight [7]. University and was initially intended to be a passenger-carrying commercial aircraft version. The pressurized compartment needs to enclose the payload section. Payload is traditionally The subsequent project VELA (Very Efficient accounted as mass, nevertheless, this does not Large Aircraft) [6] investigated different aspects fully represent the nature of the payload of of the blended wing body configuration. It aircraft primarily intended for passenger featured two different configurations. VELA transport. Passengers require a certain amount applied single deck layouts with a cargo floor of floor area per seat with a minimum cabin below the passenger deck. The first structural height above it. Further floor area needs to be concept was chosen: a fully integrated made available for the location of the pressurized vessel within the contours of the 2 OPTIMIZATION OF REVENUE SPACE OF A BLENDED WING BODY aerodynamic shape. VELA adopted separated 1.3. Research Question cabins with twin aisles. The VELA shape is also As shown the BWB was assessed by a number used in this paper as one of the three of researchers, often with very capable tools. configurations analyzed. The identified shortcoming is not in methodologies, but in the basic conceptual The TU Delft attempted to create a smaller layout of the BWB. This work focuses on BWB concept that is more comparable to optimizing the revenue space, by providing the current twin aisle wide body aircraft in terms of best internal arrangement in terms of capacity [5]. In this case the second concept was maximizing the floor area and the cargo used, the payload area is housed in a pressure volume, within a given overall surface of the vessel independent of the external shape. The pressurized section. structural concept appears to be more efficient than those used on VELA and the Liebeck 2 Methodology configurations. In this case the used aerodynamic shape did not allow a twin deck 2.1. Assumptions layout. This work assumes that an optimal aerodynamic shape has been computed for the intended cruise A realistic assessment of the weight of a condition. The aerodynamic shape adheres to pressurized vessel requires physics based some boundary conditions (for example 80m methods, such as FEM. The TU Braunschweig span limitation) and general coupling between used its design software PrADO for a BWB structural weight of a wing and the lift assessment [9]. The results belong to the few distribution. However, no pressurized vessel is attempts of an integrated concept using FE integrated. The resulting efficiency potential for methods for the estimation of the structural passenger transport is hence strongly influenced mass and performance. However, the validity of by the ability to accommodate as many FEM-based methods is very difficult to ensure passengers as possible within the given shape. as no reference is available, and no calibration can be performed, as usually required for FE The main figure of merit is the floor area. In based methods. particular, floor area providing a minimum prescribed height to house passengers. NASA has conducted research into smaller Additional height does not represent an BWBs in the 250-seat capacity region. This is in advantage.
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