Connecting Model-based Systems Engineering and Multidisciplinary Design Analysis and Optimization for Aircraft Systems Architecting

The aerospace industry has set ambitious targets to meet environmental goals while under
pressure to develop novel and optimized aircraft configurations effectively. Multidisciplinary
Design Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) are increasingly used to optimize aircraft and
their systems. Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) methods show the potential to make
the design process more effective, integrate new disciplines, and capture complex certification
constraints. Today, MBSE and MDAO are not connected; different methods and tools are
used, not harvesting the full potential of both approaches. This paper discusses the need for
improved system architecting in the aircraft conceptual design process and introduces a
framework to use MBSE in connection to MDAO. In this framework, the MBSE environment
compiles system information within a system architecture specification, acting as the
backbone and visual support for each stage in the systems architecting process. MDAO is used
for the evaluation of system architectures.
This paper presents a case study as part of the EU-funded AGILE4.0, in which the specific
link between model specification in the MBSE tool Capella and a system-level MDAO
workflow is explored. Overall, this paper presents a practical contribution to linking MBSE
and MDAO and paves the way for better integration of MBSE into the aircraft design process,
thereby enabling MBSE implementation from conceptual design onwards. Furthermore, this
will enable more detailed system analysis, such as safety analysis, starting in conceptual
design, based on architecture models.