Congratulations Aerospace Prof. Joaquim Martins and TU Delft masters student Marco Mangano on their paper, Multipoint Aerodynamic Shape Optimization for Subsonic and Supersonic Regimes, being awarded 2019 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper at the 2019 AIAA SciTech Forum. Prof. Martins and Marco are now working on a journal paper on the same topic and Marco will be joining his group as a PhD student this Fall.
Inspired by the Aerion Supersonic’s aircraft concept, the paper focused on the automatic design optimization of business jets operating at both subsonic and supersonic speeds. Starting with 2D shape optimization, the team developed morphing wings that perform well in subsonic conditions (required over land due to noise regulations), and supersonic conditions (allowed over open water where noise is not as great of a concern). The paper also provided insight into the 3D effects of morphing wing design.
With a grant from his home university TU Delft, Marco Mangano finally gave Prof. Martins an opportunity to work on supersonic aircraft for the first time since Prof. Martins’ PhD thesis back in 2002. Marco spent a year at the University of Michigan as a visiting student working on his masters thesis under the supervision from Prof. Martins.
Prof. Martins heads the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory (MDO Lab) in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. This work benefited from the support of other MDO Lab members, which made it possible for Marco to quickly learn the tools he used in his work.
