In recent years, increasing attention has been given in the aerospace industry to the integration of aircraft design disciplines. This idea has been applied theoretically to the design of sail planes for solar-powered, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) aircraft and, more recently, for microwave-powered aircraft. These attempts at arriving at integrated designs of one class of aircraft used then-existing, state-of-the-art computer capabilities. No attempt was made to use new programming techniques derived from artificial intelligence to develop more flexible systems for the conceptual design of HALE aircraft.The purpose of this project was to develop a general parametric sizing capability for micro-computers using integrated design methodology. Design of a HALE aircraft was used as a test case. This integrated design methodology incorporates some detailed calculations and many qualitative rules-of-thumb and constraints which are not easily quantified except by the accumulation of design experience. The system is currently running on personal computers at the company, NASA, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.Potential Commercial Application:This general aircraft sizing methodology, incorporating a knowledge-based system for the design of high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, has application to other aircraft types. Non-aircraft applications may be possible with further development.STATUS: Phase I Only-
