Johannes Verberne
(Advisor: Prof. Dimitri Mavris]
will propose a doctoral thesis entitled,
A Design Methodology to Improve Performance Robustness for Degrading Electric Aircraft in Design Space Exploration
On
Monday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m.
Collaborative Design Environment (CoDE)
Weber Space Science and Technology Building (SST II)
Abstract
Growing global concerns about anthropogenic climate change are driving significant research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A promising pathway for aviation is the adoption of electric propulsion solutions. While future applications in large commercial aircraft are anticipated, most current efforts focus on small-scale vehicles. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) refers to a class of electric aircraft designed to transport people and goods using small-scale conventional or vertical takeoff and landing platforms. AAM vehicles differ significantly from traditional aircraft in both configuration and powertrain architecture. Their novel designs introduce new flight behaviors, design considerations, and more complex system architectures compared to aircraft certified under FAA regulations in 14 CFR Parts 91 and 135. Additionally, the power and energy extractability in AAM aircraft is more sensitive to both powertrain design and operational conditions than in traditional fossil-fuel-powered aircraft. Ensuring that the aircraft can reliably extract the required energy and power across a variety of missions must be considered early in the design process. Insufficient consideration of these factors during early-stage design can lead to suboptimal solutions and overestimated projections of vehicle performance and capability.
The degradation and cycle-life of electric powertrain systems, shaped by both past and future flight operations, introduce new design and operational challenges that are largely absent in conventional powertrains. Unlike traditional systems, electric powertrains are much more sensitive to degradation effects. This is particularly true for battery-electric systems, which are constrained by fixed weight and tightly coupled power-energy dynamics. Life-cycle effects and operational considerations are rarely integrated comprehensively into early-stage aircraft design, especially within the context of AAM. Most existing research either evaluates degradation after the design is complete or focuses on electric powertrain development without addressing the full aircraft design problem. When degradation is considered, it is often based on oversimplified assumptions that ignore real-world variability in load cycles and operating conditions, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Incorporating degradation feedback into the design loop and quantifying associated uncertainties can significantly enhance performance robustness, operational efficiency, and the market viability of AAM aircraft.
This thesis proposes a methodology to capture the impact of degradation and cycle-life effects on the power and energy requirements of AAM aircraft during design space exploration. The research aims to bridge key gaps in quantifying the impacts of cycle-life on battery-electric AAM aircraft and in sizing and optimizing powertrain (sub)systems. Additionally, it addresses the challenge of modeling, quantifying, and mitigating aleatory uncertainty and its impact on battery-electric degradation across lifetime mission operations during early design. Ultimately, this work proposes a robust design methodology that integrates cycle-life and degradation considerations into AAM early design, with applicability to broader categories of electric aircraft to enhance overall performance robustness and operational efficiency.
Committee
- Prof. Dimitri Mavris – School of Aerospace Engineering (advisor)
- Prof. Brian German – School of Aerospace Engineering
- Prof. Daniel P. Schrage – School of Aerospace Engineering
- Dr. Cedric Y. Justin – School of Aerospace Engineering
- Dr. Simon Briceno – Jaunt Air Mobility