MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF A FAULT-TOLERANT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

M.G. Perhinschi, G. Campa, M.R. Napolitano, M. Lando, L. Massotti, and M.L. Fravolini

Keywords

Fault-tolerant control, failure modelling, parameter identification

Abstract

This paper describes the results of an attempt to develop a modelling and simulation environment for the closed-loop dynamics of the NASA Intelligent Flight Control System F-15 aircraft. Emphasis was placed on the modelling of fault tolerance capabilities for the aircraft flight control system. Failures of the primary control surfaces are simulated for the most common failure scenarios, which are actuator blockage with and without a missing portion of the control surface. The controller featured in the flight control system has an optimal “feedforward and feedback architecture to provide desirable handling qualities at nominal flight conditions while retaining good performance at post-failure conditions. The parameters within the control laws are updated using an online real-time parameter identification scheme based on the Fourier Transform Regression method. The desirable performance and utility of the entire scheme are illustrated through numerical simulations in the event of stabilator failure.

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