Conceptual Design Toolchain Workshop for eVTOL Aircraft
The NASA Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project has supported the development of a documented set of conceptual design tools to accurately evaluate the noise and performance of a broad range of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles. This development effort is led by RVLT's Conceptual Design team.
The Conceptual Design team will host a one-week, hybrid-format workshop August 22-26, 2022 at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. The no-cost workshop is aimed at vehicle designers and researchers in the UAM community. Workshop attendance is limited to U.S. citizens (or Permanent Residents) representing U.S. organizations.
What the workshop will cover
Morning sessions, virtual and in-person
• Overview of primary tools, interfaces, and tool chains used by NASA to evaluate the noise and performance of UAM VTOL aircraft
• Overview of NASA UAM concept vehicle(s) to be used as test case(s)
Afternoon sessions, in-person only
• Hands-on training for executing the chain of primary tools to calculate the noise and performance of NASA vehicle test cases. Loaner laptops with temporary access to toolchain software will be provided. Instructions for accessing information about the tools will be provided prior to the workshop.
• The figure below shows the primary tools covered in the workshop. OpenVSP, RCOTOOLS, and other supporting tools will also be discussed in the context of the toolchain.
What the workshop will NOT cover
• Rotorcraft theory
• Details of the conceptual design process of UAM vehicles
• Design optimization
Assumed knowledge of workshop attendees
• Familiarity with basic rotorcraft aeromechanics definitions: collective pitch, aircraft trim, rotor wake, blade airloads, blade motion
• Some experience with VTOL aircraft analyses and/or VTOL aircraft testing (flight, wind tunnel, etc.)
We highly encourage in-person attendance. If the number of registrants desiring to attend in person exceeds space available, preference will be given to UAM industry registrants. Please register as soon as possible!
Registration link: Conceptual Design Toolchain Workshop for eVTOL Aircraft