RBF Morph participated in the 24th International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) Congress, on September 9-13, 2024, in Florence, Italy.

Founded in 1957 by Professor Theodore von Kármán, the ICAS Congress is a cornerstone event for the global aerospace community. It serves as a vital platform where professionals, companies, and institutions converge to exchange knowledge and drive innovation in aerospace science and technology. This year’s congress once again gathered industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to explore the latest advancements and shape the future of the aerospace industry.

RBF Morph was honored to contribute to this prestigious event with the presentation of our paper, “Efficient Shape Optimization in Aeronautics: Integrating Parametric CAD and Mesh Morphing for Enhanced Aerodynamic Performance.” This research addresses critical challenges in the aerospace sector, particularly in the context of increasing electrification and the demand for optimized aerodynamic performance.

The paper introduces a novel optimization workflow that merges the strengths of parametric CAD and mesh morphing techniques. By leveraging a scriptable CAD editor, such as the open-source ESP, and combining it with Radial Basis Functions for mesh morphing, the approach allows for the efficient exploration of multiple design points. This method has demonstrated significant potential, as evidenced by its application to the Boeing 787-inspired Open Parametric Aircraft Model (OPAM), yielding promising results in efficiency improvements.

The proposed workflow represents a significant step forward in addressing the complexities of shape optimization in aeronautics, offering a cost-effective and highly innovative solution to the challenges of automatic mesh generation. RBF Morph was happy to share these insights and engage with the global aerospace community at ICAS 2024.