Dynamic Lifecycle Cost Modeling for Adaptable Design Optimization of Additively Remanufactured Aeroengine Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is being used increasingly for repair and remanufacturing of aeroengine components. This enables the consideration of a design margin approach to satisfy changing requirements, in which component lifespan can be optimized for different lifecycle scenarios. This paradigm requires lifecycle cost (LCC) modeling; however, the LCC models available in the literature consider mostly the manufacturing of a component, not its repair or remanufacturing. There is thus a need for an LCC model that can consider AM for repair/remanufacturing to quantify corresponding costs and benefits. This paper presents a dynamic LCC model that estimates cumulative costs over the in-service phase and a nested design optimization problem formulation that determines the optimal component lifespan range to minimize overall cost while maximizing performance. The developed methodology is demonstrated by means of an aeroengine turbine rear structure.