A flight performance based optimization model for eVTOL vehicles

Abstract

The need for sustainable transportation and expanding urbanization has provided a strong impetus for the development of eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft in recent years. Although the first generation of such aircraft may enter the skies over the next couple of years, there is great variety in designs, and no consensus on one optimal configuration yet. In the present study, a flight performance based optimization model is proposed for aircraft sizing of a typical electric tilt-rotor. A constrained genetic algorithm is used with the objective function of gross weight minimization. The adoption of key aircraft performance parameters such as the turning radius and climb rate into the model, in addition to traditional design parameters are found to be important drivers of the optimization. The optimization is run for varying payloads (300, 500 and 700 ??) and ranges (50, 150 and 200 ??) to gain insights into the scalability of aircraft and component designs. The wing and motors, both of which contribute significantly to the overall empty weight, are found to drive the optimization in different directions, with the program subsequently attempting to find an optimal solution.