Kriging-assisted valid-screening optimization (KVSO) to study optimal steering strategies for multi-struts aircraft

During ground maneuvering of multi-strut aircraft (MSA), certain main landing gears (MLGs) require steering capabilities to coordinate with the nose landing gears (NLGs) for minimizing steering radius and maintaining stability. Inappropriate MLG steering angles may lead to tire sideslip and potential aircraft rollover in extreme cases. This article presents a Kriging-assisted valid-screening optimization (KVSO) method for predicting optimal steering strategies of MSA under complex constraints, determining optimal coordination angles for the MLGs. The proposed method first introduces a penalty-based pre-screening filter (PBPF) mechanism that selects samples by comprehensively evaluating multiple constraint violations, thereby enhancing the algorithm's optimization efficiency. Subsequently, a valid constraint screening (VCS) mechanism, based on normal distribution principles, is proposed to reduce computational costs. Furthermore, a region of interest sampling surrogate model update mechanism is developed based on the constraint boundary sampling (CBS) criterion. This mechanism constructs high-precision surrogate models for both optimization objective regions and constraint boundaries, thus accelerating global optimization convergence. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through two engineering case studies. The results demonstrate superior computational efficiency and optimization accuracy in resolving the optimal steering strategy for MSA. This method provides theoretical foundations for MLGs steering angle design.