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NASA has created a new digital modelling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation.<\/p>\n
Using this tool, researchers can create simulations of conceptual aircraft featuring never-flown technology and receive detailed data about how it would work.<\/p>\n
Named \u201cAviary\u201d for enclosures where birds are kept and studied, the tool creates virtual models of airplanes based on information provided by the user. In this analogy, Aviary is the enclosure, and the birds are the virtual airplane models.<\/p>\n
Researchers can input information about an aircraft\u2019s shape, range, and other characteristics. Then, Aviary creates a corresponding digital model of that airplane.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Gratz<\/p>\n
Aviary Task Lead<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Aviary is a significant leap in progress. Unlike past aviation modelling tools, Aviary can link with other codes and programs to expand and customize its capabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to make it easy to extend the code and tie it in with other tools,\u201d said Jennifer Gratz, who leads Aviary\u2019s integration and development. \u201cAviary is intentionally designed to be able to integrate disciplines together more tightly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aviary is free and accessible to all. The code continues to grow as contributions are made by the public. The code is hosted on GitHub, along with its key documentation.<\/p>\n
Aviary is a descendant of two prior modelling tools created by NASA decades ago: the Flight Optimization System, and the General Aviation Synthesis Program.<\/p>\n
These older legacy codes, however, were comparatively limited in terms of flexibility and detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe older legacy codes were not designed to handle these more modern-day concepts such as hybrid-electric aircraft,\u201d Gratz said. \u201cThey viewed certain systems as more separated than they really are in the vehicles we envision now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aviary bridges that gap, enabling researchers to seamlessly incorporate detailed information reflecting the more integrated, enmeshed systems needed to model newer aircraft.<\/p>\n
The team began creating Aviary by taking the best parts of the legacy codes and merging them, then adding in new code to make Aviary extendable and compatible with other tools.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of its most important characteristics,\u201d Gratz said. \u201cAviary is flexible enough that you can decide what you want to learn more about, then configure it to teach you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Learning specific, tailored information ahead of time can inform researchers what direction the aircraft design should take before doing costly flight tests.<\/p>\n
Instead of having to use built-in estimates for certain parameters such as a battery\u2019s power level, as would be done with past tools, Aviary users can easily use information generated by other tools with specific information catered to batteries.<\/p>\n
Another capability Aviary touts is gradients. A gradient, essentially, is how much a certain value affects another value when changed.<\/p>\n
Say a researcher is considering how powerful a battery should be to successfully power an aircraft. Using older systems, the researcher would have to run a separate simulation for each battery power level.<\/p>\n
But Aviary can accomplish this task in one simulation by considering gradients.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could tell Aviary to figure out how powerful a battery should be to make using it worthwhile. It will run a simulated flight mission and come back with the result,\u201d Gratz said. \u201cOlder tools can\u2019t do that without modification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aviary can simulate all these concepts simultaneously \u2013 no other modelling tool can easily consider prior legacy tools, separate tools introduced by users, and gradients.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther tools have some of these things, but none of them have all of these things,\u201d Gratz said.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, Aviary comes with extensive documentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDocumentation is another important part of Aviary,\u201d Gratz said. \u201cIf nobody can understand the tool, nobody can use it. By having a good record of Aviary\u2019s development and changes, more people can benefit. You don\u2019t have to be an expert to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ames Research Center in California, and Langley Research Center in Virginia contributed to Aviary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n