Shape optimization of lightening holes used in aircraft fuselage beams

Weight saving from aircraft structures has always been important in aircraft industry. Introducing flanged lightening holes to the primary aircraft structures (e.g., wing ribs, fuselage frame webs, and fuselage longerons) is a widely used approach to achieve weight savings. In this thesis, the lightening hole shapes in a metallic fuselage beam located laterally on the upper deck of Turkish Light Utility Helicopter (TLUH) is optimized for minimum structural weight, such that the structural strength and stability are maintained at certain levels. Since structural responses are computed through computationally expensive finite element analyses, surrogate based optimization approach is followed. Surrogate models are constructed for the maximum von Mises stress, the minimum buckling eigenvalue and the structural weight. Constrained nonlinear multivariable optimizer of MATLAB is used along with a multiple starting point approach for optimization. Optimization of the lightening holes on the beam is handled in two different cases: identical holes equal distance and non-identical holes non-equal distance assumptions. It is found that the structural weight of the fuselage beam can be reduced by 8.69% in identical hole equal distance assumption and 10.5% in non-identical hole non-equal distance assumption compared to the initial design without sacrificing structural strength or stability. Optimum design of the identical hole equal distance problem shows that hole shapes are not significantly diverged from circular shapes. While it is observed that holes are enlarged horizontally, and shrunk vertically. When the design that is accepted as the optimum for the non-identical hole non-equal distance problem, it can be clearly deduced that hole shapes get more circular while moving from beam center to the tip in order to avoid stress concentration around the tip holes. Finally, to support the weight reduction, horizontal radii of the holes are increased and reached to the upper limit except for the central hole.