For several years, IRT Saint Exupéry has been developing multidisciplinary optimization capabilities through the open-source software GEMSEO. These developments promote the use of models in more integrated design cycles, bringing together various engineering domains and physical phenomena involved in complex systems. Beyond performance improvements, the goal is also to reduce development times and enhance the ability to find optimal architectural trade-offs.

In order to shorten the certification timelines for such systems, it is essential to assess the credibility of the models used. When sufficient credibility is established, it becomes possible to place greater trust in simulation and optimization results, thereby reducing the need for lengthy, risky, and costly physical testing. This is the objective of the work conducted at IRT Saint Exupéry on Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (V&VUQ) for simulations. These efforts have been carried out since 2018 within the TFA (Trusted Frugal Aircraft) technology axis through projects such as VITAL and TRUST, supported by teams and digital capabilities from the MDO (Multidisciplinary Design Optimization) Competence Center.

Leveraging GEMSEO, the project teams are developing a dedicated software platform to implement V&VUQ processes, aiming to facilitate and standardize the assessment of model credibility. The primary application currently under study concerns aerospace composite structures, with a focus on damage models that predict structural strength under various loading conditions. In this context, thousands of physical tests could potentially be avoided, particularly when integrating new, higher-performance and more sustainable composite materials within a certification-by-analysis approach supported by selective testing.

Thanks to the developments made with GEMSEO, the V&VUQ platform benefits from state-of-the-art features in sensitivity analysis, machine learning, and uncertainty quantification. Moreover, models whose credibility has been evaluated through this platform can be directly used in multidisciplinary optimization workflows.

“Born from the pioneering VITAL and TRUST projects, this V&VUQ software platform will be usable for integrating and verifying the credibility of simulations and models in other fields at IRT Saint Exupéry—such as the optimization of electric powertrains—in synergy with GEMSEO.”
— Fabio Coccetti, Head of the High-Reliability Energy Competence Center, Green Technologies Axis

“This collaboration with the MOSC teams is essential to accelerate the technological readiness of the innovations developed within the TFA axis.”
— Yannick Girard, Director of Additive Manufacturing Technologies