Control theory for optimum design of aerodynamic shapes

The potential benefits and feasibility of combining control and aerodynamic theory to develop a method for designing optimum aerodynamic shapes are examined. In this approach the design problem is regarded as a control problem in which the controlled system is the aerodynamic flow, and the control is the shape of the boundary. A variety of alternative formulations of the design problem can then be treated systematically by using the mathematical theory of control for systems governed by partial differential equations. Since the design is frozen before the construction of the aircraft, only an open-loop solution to the control problem should be found