Optimization and Testing

What does this code do?

This code has two main capabilities. (1) It allows you to test whether a given plane meets the mission criteria listed in the Project Requirements document. (2) Given a set of criteria and a plane with basic characteristics, it will optimize the remaining characteristics.

Which mission requirements does it test for?

(subject to change and improve)

Sufficient Payload Capacity
Sufficient Range at V_cruise=Mach 0.8

How will the optimization work?

A set of planes will be placed in the hangar folder. These planes will be like parents to a population of planes. Each generation will be tested against the mission requirements. The subset of planes that meet the requirements will then be judged based on criteria that we define. For example, maybe we are willing to add a little bit of cost in order to increase our range. The weights that define our priorities go in that criteria.json file. Based on the criteria, each plane is given a score. The top N planes then get to "reproduce" - they have baby planes with slightly different characteristics and different engines (engines come from the database). The $ price of the baby planes is estimated based on AVG cost per Newton of structure in other planes. The planes are then judged, just like their parents. This process repeats until we stop seeing improvements in the criteria that we set.

Assumptions

Assume that V_cruise is V_Carson (see page 521 in Anderson)
Range is computed using formulas for constant velocity (V_cruise)
If W_payload isn't defined in plane.json, it will be increased until thrust can no longer overcome drag
For approach and landing, we assume that flaps & slats can increase Cl_max by 50%
For all planes, we assume that wings are 4m off the ground for ground effect
For all planes, we assume that reversible thrust is 30% of total available thrust
When landing, we assume that the coefficient of rolling friction is twice the nominal value (account for braking)

What if I just want to test against mission requirements?

Place your plane file in the hangar
Run test_all_planes.py

How can I set up my computer to run Python?

Download and install Anaconda
Open Terminal on Mac (maybe cmd on Windows. I'm not sure)
conda install numpy matplotlib
cd <path-to-AME261-code-folder>/Python/
python test_all_planes.py

haydenshively / AME-261