An adaptive machine learning-based optimization method in the aerodynamic analysis of a finite wing under various cruise conditions

Conventional wing aerodynamic optimization processes can be time-consuming and imprecise due to the complexity of versatile flight missions. Plenty of existing literature has considered two-dimensional infinite airfoil optimization, while three-dimensional finite wing optimizations are subject to limited study because of high computational costs. Here we create an adaptive optimization methodology built upon digitized wing shape deformation and deep learning algorithms, which enable the rapid formulation of finite wing designs for specific aerodynamic performance demands under different cruise conditions. This methodology unfolds in three stages: radial basis function interpolated wing generation, collection of inputs from computational fluid dynamics simulations, and deep neural network that constructs the surrogate model for the optimal wing configuration. It has been demonstrated that the proposed methodology can significantly reduce the computational cost of numerical simulations. It also has the potential to optimize various aerial vehicles undergoing different mission environments, loading conditions, and safety requirements.