Tuccillo, Michele (2025) Extending the aircraft conceptual design workflow: a methodology for the architecture exploration and optimization of next generation multi-role seaplanes. [Tesi di dottorato]

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Abstract

The early stages of the aircraft design process, namely, the conceptual and preliminary phases, are characterized by the strong interdependence of analytical and numerical methodologies aimed at determining overall vehicle performance. These include low- and high-speed aerodynamics, in-flight and on-ground performance, flying qualities, stability and control characteristics, and economic efficiency. The inherently multidisciplinary nature of this process requires careful problem formulation, beginning with the identification of design requirements, objectives, variables, and parameters to ensure consistency across all analyses. In recent years, increasing environmental awareness has driven the development of disruptive aircraft architectures and the retrofitting of existing platforms with eco-friendly propulsion systems, advanced materials, and improved aerodynamic designs. Consequently, multidisciplinary design and optimization frameworks have evolved to incorporate additional constraints, objectives, and design variables across both vehicle-level and subsystem-level analyses. The architecture of a multidisciplinary design process has thus become strongly dependent on the aircraft configuration and the performance metrics to be optimized. Preliminary investigations are often required to define appropriate optimization strategies and prioritize objectives, which can significantly increase the time and complexity of conceptual design studies. The growing complexity of multidisciplinary design and analysis problems, combined with the need to reduce uncertainty from the earliest design stages, has encouraged the integration of higher-fidelity analytical and numerical methodologies. These include computational fluid dynamics, finite element models, six-degree-of-freedom dynamic simulations, and experimental data. To maintain the fast-response characteristics required during early design while leveraging such high-fidelity models, surrogate modelling and machine learning techniques have been increasingly adopted. These data-driven methods replace computationally expensive analyses within the design framework, enabling predictive and adaptive modelling capabilities. However, their application often requires extensive data generation through large-scale design of experiments campaigns to train accurate metamodels capable of capturing complex dependencies among design variables and performance metrics. Seaplanes have recently re-emerged as promising platforms for passenger and cargo transport in remote regions, as well as valuable assets for emergency operations such as aerial firefighting. Despite their potential, their adoption has been limited by inherent drawbacks relative to land-based aircraft, including, weight penalties and aerodynamic inefficiencies associated with their unique configurations. The introduction of multi-role design strategies and hybrid-electric propulsion systems offers new opportunities to enhance the market viability and environmental sustainability of seaplanes. To explore these opportunities, this research proposes the use of non-conventional, operations-oriented MDO frameworks during the conceptual and preliminary design phases, addressing the overarching research question: in what ways can conceptual and preliminary design workflows be extended and restructured to support architecture exploration and optimization of innovative amphibious aircraft, while enhancing the operational attractiveness in achieving an optimal balance between performance and cost-effectiveness ? The exploration of seaplane architectures within the conceptual design phase represents only the initial step in evaluating the long-term potential of this aircraft category. Achieving true market competitiveness requires fully exploiting the inherent versatility of seaplanes, enabling efficient operation across multiple mission profiles and mitigating the limitations traditionally associated with such configurations. Once a suitable configuration is identified through the conceptual exploration of alternative architectures, the subsequent preliminary design phase must incorporate discipline-specific models to refine and enhance overall product performance. This phase involves the simultaneous consideration of multiple performance objectives and operational constraints, derived not only from stakeholder requirements and system specifications, as is typical in conventional aircraft design, but also from the conditions and mission profiles characteristic of the intended operational scenarios.

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