Skip to content
Mail Symbol Mail Symbol

Geometry modeling in concept design

Today, the development of new aircraft models is more cost- and time-intensive than ever due to high requirements. Starting from a mission profile — including payload, range, and fuel consumption — the design process passes through conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design phases.

In each of these phases, different disciplines such as aerodynamics, structural mechanics, flight physics, and manufacturing must be optimized together. Moreover, their interactions need to be balanced so that the aircraft model fulfills all requirements. Until a few years ago, calculations from each discipline were performed independently. As a result, the outcome of an aerodynamics analysis had to be manually transferred into the input model of a structural mechanics calculation. Similarly, every change in aircraft geometry had to be entered again into the models of the individual disciplines. This manual process was slow and error-prone.

Integrated Optimization with AeroStruct

By integrating multiple disciplines into one optimization tool, these problems can be avoided. The tool automatically transfers calculation results from one discipline into the input model of another. Therefore, the development process accelerates and optimized results are achieved in less time. Since all input models are based on the aircraft geometry, this geometry forms the central link for coupling calculations across disciplines.

Joint Project with Airbus and DLR

To implement this integrated approach, Airbus Defence and Space joined the AeroStruct project, coordinated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Within this framework, RISC Software GmbH was commissioned to design a software system that combines Airbus’s existing analysis programs. This ensures synchronous progress across all disciplines.

Project Contributions

As part of the project, the following work was carried out:

  • Selection of a standardized description language for aircraft geometries
  • Definition of a parametric geometry model for aircraft based on the description language
  • Development of a tool to generate geometries from the description language
  • Geometry generation for internal wing structures such as ribs and spars
  • Intersection of the wing geometry with internal structures
  • Development of a GUI application to manipulate the parametric geometry model
  • Development and integration of a data format for the geometry model, including discipline-specific data based on HDF5
  • Definition of design variables and mapping to parameters of the geometry model

Project partner

Project details

  • Project short title: Geometry modeling in concept design
  • Project long title: Parameterized geometry modeling as a basis for multidisciplinary optimization in aircraft construction
  • Projektpartner:
    • Airbus Defense and Space
  • Duration: ongoing

Contact person









    DI Roland Landertshamer

    Senior Software Architect & Project Manager