A method of parametric design of bodies having arbitrary three- dimensional shapes has been invented. The method is intended mainly for use in the design, analysis, and manufacture of propeller and propulsor blades, submarine sails, ship hulls, rudders, control vanes, sonar domes, and other bodies for which hydrodynamic or aerodynamic properties are important considerations.
The output of the feature extractor is fed to a geometry modifier, which modifies the parametric representations of the design in response to a database representing the relationships among performance and design parameters. The modified parametric representations of design are fed to a design generator, which processes them into a new design of the three-dimensional shape. A design analyzer, which can include or utilize a CFD system, effects a performance analysis of the new design and contributes the results of the analysis to the performance/ parameter database. Depending on the results, the design can be used either to generate a final CAD file or else further modified and analyzed.
This work was done by James L. Dick of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center for the Naval Research Laboratory.
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Parametric Design of Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Shapes
(reference NRL-0016) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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This article first appeared in the October, 2007 issue of Defense Tech Briefs Magazine.
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