Addressing complexity in sustainable aircraft design

Abstract

Next generations of civil transport aircraft will need to be evaluated not only against their behaviour as an aircraft system but also as a part of the larger air transport system. The sustainability issues related to noise and emissions, represented by environmental impact, combined with the complex behaviour of the stakeholders in the transport system require a different way of evaluating future aircraft designs. The study case of the box wing type aircraft, i.e. Prandtl Plane, shows the potential of reduced induced drag and direct lift control, when evaluated using the current system level computational design framework (DEE). However, this aircraft type also shows a potential for alternative use, preventing environmental impact prediction.The proposed DEE extension provides an integrated approach to address these complexities in sustainable design and facilitate impact evaluations. © 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited.