Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Of A Transonic Airfoil Using The Adjoint Method

Abstract

This project consists in the study and application of the continuous adjoint method for airfoil optimization under transonic flight conditions using Euler (inviscid) and RANS (viscous) approaches. SU2 is the software used as the optimizer and the solver, exploring its capabilities in the field of aerodynamic shape optimization problems. Three Study Cases are performed as practical examples of adjoint-based optimization with Hicks-Henne bump functions as the parametrization method. The first case as an introduction to the optimization process and SU2 capabilities with a simple unconstrained inviscid case of NACA 0012. The second as a constrained inviscid case for NACA 0012 to study the influence of flight speed in airfoil design with solutions for three different Mach Numbers: 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8. The third case corresponds to the ADODG case 2, showing the effective application of the continuous adjoint method in a viscous constrained optimization of RAE 2822 obtaining a reduction of 41.6% of drag coefficient and comparing results with other research studies for the same optimization problem. Therefore, the effective application of the continuous adjoint is demonstrated by producing supercritical airfoils that minimize drag in an effective computational way.