• December 3, 2018
  • 4:00 p.m.
  • 320 New Classroom Building
  • Dr. Darcy Allison of the Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Faculty Host: Dr. Pradeep Raj
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  • Abstract: Driven by the increasingly difficult air vehicle system design requirements that have been proposed and planned for the future, the Multidisciplinary Science & Technology Center (MSTC) at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is attempting to improve available capabilities in Multidisciplinary Analysis and Design Optimization (MADO). Aircraft MADO has enjoyed recent widespread adoption in industry. This shift has not been brought about by profit-driven companies genuflecting to MADO pundits, but by a realization that current and future technology advances, competition, and design requirements are driving the necessity of the simultaneous optimization of the complete system in the early stages of the design process that MADO offers. MSTC intends a rapid improvement in industry’s early conceptual MADO capabilities in several key areas: state-based modeling, effectiveness based design, path dependency, transient operation of systems and subsystems, uncertainty quantification, utilizing high performance computing, and cost. All of these areas are intended to be evaluated as early as possible in the design process and were identified as key areas by AFRL with an eye to future design requirements and upcoming technologies slated for introduction on future air vehicle platforms.

    Biography: Dr. Darcy Allison is a Research Aerospace Engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory located at the birthplace of flight, Dayton, OH. His research interests are in aircraft design, multidisciplinary design optimization, design methods development, modeling & simulation, and thermodynamic-based air vehicle subsystem technologies (e.g. propulsion and thermal management). Previously, he worked at Space Systems/Loral as a Hall thruster subsystem lead working on systems teams to design and build large communication satellites from 2005 to 2009. He owned his own company called Optimal Flight Sciences from 2013-2016. His current assignment at AFRL has him working as the program manager for the recently-completed OPTIMUS program executed by Boeing’s Phantom Works and the program manager for the EXPEDITE program being executed by Lockheed Martin’s famous Skunk Works. Dr. Allison received his Ph.D. (2013) in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and both his M.S. (2004) and B.S. (2002) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University.