The effects of sensitivity derivatives on the performance of aerodynamic design optimization were evaluated. Sensitivity derivatives were obtained by both analytical and finite-difference approaches. A sensitivity code was developed to analytically obtain sensitivity derivatives for the two-dimensional Euler equations using the material derivative concept of continuum mechanics. Several inverse design optimizations were performed to evaluate the merits of the analytical approach in comparison with the finite-difference approach. The results show that the analytical approach provides accurate sensitivity derivatives consistently, improves the convergence of the design cycle, and hence reduces the design cost.
展开▼
