Intelligent Flight Control Systems Evaluation for Loss-Of-Control Recovery and Prevention
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NLR-TP-2017-120 | April 2017 Intelligent Flight Control Systems Evaluation for Loss-of-Control Recovery and Prevention CUSTOMER: STW NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR is a leading international research centre for aerospace. Bolstered by its multidisciplinary expertise and unrivalled research facilities, NLR provides innovative and integral solutions for the complex challenges in the aerospace sector. NLR's activities span the full spectrum of Research Development Test & Evaluation (RDT & E). Given NLR's specialist knowledge and facilities, companies turn to NLR for validation, verification, qualification, simulation and evaluation. NLR thereby bridges the gap between research and practical applications, while working for both government and industry at home and abroad. NLR stands for practical and innovative solutions, technical expertise and a long-term design vision. This allows NLR's cutting edge technology to find its way into successful aerospace programs of OEMs, including Airbus, Embraer and Pilatus. NLR contributes to (military) programs, such as ESA's IXV re-entry vehicle, the F-35, the Apache helicopter, and European programs, including SESAR and Clean Sky 2. Founded in 1919, and employing some 650 people, NLR achieved a turnover of 71 million euros in 2016, of which three-quarters derived from contract research, and the remaining from government funds. For more information visit: www.nlr.nl EXECUTIVE SUMMARY UNCLASSIFIED Intelligent Flight Control Systems Evaluation for Loss- of-Control Recovery and Prevention REPORT NUMBER NLR-TP-2017-120 AUTHOR(S) M.H. Smaili J. Breeman T.J.J. Lombaerts J.A. Mulder Q.P. Chu Problem area O. Stroosma REPORT CLASSIFICATION An increasing number of measures are currently being taken by the international UNCLASSIFIED aviation community to prevent loss-of-control (LOC) accidents due to in-flight DATE failures, structural damage, and upsets. Fault-tolerant flight control (FTFC), or April 2017 “intelligent flight control,” is a technology solution aimed to prevent LOC by exploring the remaining physical capabilities of the aircraft to still fly. FTFC leads to KNOWLEDGE AREA(S) improved survivability and ability to recover from adverse flight conditions by Safety Cockpit intelligent utilization of the control authority of remaining control effectors Training, Mission (including the engines). Reconfigurable control strategies allow us to establish Simulation and Operator stable equilibrium conditions and required maneuverability for safe approach and Performance landing. Aircraft Systems Engineering Description of work DESCRIPTOR(S) loss of control intelligent flight control The research in this paper was performed within the Flight Mechanics Action aircraft accidents Group on Fault-Tolerant Control [FM-AG(16)], which is a collaborative research upset recovery project conducted within the framework of the Group for Aeronautical Research fault tolerant control and Technology in Europe (GARTEUR). The objective was to bring novel intelligent fault-tolerant flight control systems, as conceived within academic and research communities, to a higher technology readiness level. This was achieved by demonstrating the advantages of such systems in a realistic operational context. Within the Action Group, a realistic aircraft simulation benchmark (RECOVER) was EXECUTIVE SUMMARY UNCLASSIFIED developed based on data from the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) of the El Al B747 Flight 1862 accident. The benchmark played a crucial role in the Action Group, as it allowed extensive offline design and analysis of new FTFC algorithms by the participants in the Action Group as well as implementation of these algorithms in a full flight research simulator for pilot-in-the-loop evaluation in conditions that would be as realistic as possible. The benchmark, based on actual DFDR data, combined with a piloted simulator campaign in a full flight simulator, provided a unique opportunity for assessment of the merits of novel FTFC techniques in a very realistic scenario and the environment of an actual past failure case. Results and conclusions The flight simulator results showed that, after failure, the FTFC algorithm based on online physical model identification was successful in improving handling qualities and pilot performance. For both automatic and manual controlled flights, the reconfigured flight control system was able to cope with potentially catastrophic failures in case of flight critical system failures or if the aircraft configuration changed dramatically due to damage. In most cases, apart from any slight failure transients, the pilots commented that aircraft behavior felt conventional after control reconfiguration following a failure, whereas the control algorithms were successful in recovering the ability to control the damaged aircraft. The pilots demonstrated the ability to fly the damaged aircraft, following control reconfiguration, back to the airport and conduct a survivable approach and landing. Applicability For the short term and midterm, aviation authorities recognize the need to improve full flight simulators to become capable of training pilots how to handle LOC. Fault-tolerant flight control is a longer term technology solution that provides redundancy for LOC recovery and prevention by means of new reconfigurable flight control systems. GENERAL NOTE NLR This report is based on a paper published in the AIAA Journal of Guidance, Anthony Fokkerweg 2 Control and Dynamics Special Issue on Aircraft Loss of Control, publication date 1059 CM Amsterdam (online): May 30, 2016, by AIAA. p ) +31 88 511 3113 f ) +31 88 511 3210 e ) [email protected] i ) www.nlr.nl Project website: www.faulttolerantcontrol.nl NLR-TP-2017-120 | April 2017 Intelligent Flight Control Systems Evaluation for Loss-of-Control Recovery and Prevention CUSTOMER: STW AUTHOR(S): M.H. Smaili NLR J. Breeman NLR T.J.J. Lombaerts NASA Ames Research Center J.A. Mulder Delft University of Technology Q.P. Chu Delft University of Technology O. Stroosma Delft University of Technology NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre April 2017 | NLR-TP-2017-120 This report is based on a paper published in the AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics Special Issue on Aircraft Loss of Control, publication date (online): May 30, 2016, by AIAA. The contents of this report may be cited on condition that full credit is given to NLR and the author(s). CUSTOMER STW CONTRACT NUMBER Project no.: DMR 06515 OWNER NLR + partner(s) DIVISION NLR Aerospace Operations DISTRIBUTION Unlimited CLASSIFICATION OF TITLE UNCLASSIFIED APPROVED BY : AUTHOR REVIEWER MANAGING DEPARTMENT M.H. Smaili External reviewers A.D.J. Rutten DATE DATE DATE 2 NLR-TP-2017-120 | April 2017 Contents I. Introduction 5 II. RECOVER Aircraft Simulation Benchmark 6 A. Benchmark Aircraft Accident Case 6 B. Aircraft Model Development and Validation 7 C. Aircraft Benchmark Model 10 III. Flight Simulator Integration and Piloted Assessment 12 A. Motivation and Goals 12 B. Flight Simulator Configuration 12 C. Aircraft Configuration and Validation 13 D. Test Method 13 E. Participants 14 F. Test Procedure 14 G. Piloted Handling Qualities Evaluation Results 14 1. Handling Qualities Ratings 14 2. Pilot-Cockpit Interface 16 3. Flight Control Computer Computational Load 16 4. Summary 17 IV. Conclusions 17 Appendix A GARTEUR FM-AG(16) Handling Qualities Evaluation Maneuvers and Performance Criteria 17 Appendix B Classical and FTFC Longitudinal and Lateral Handling Qualities Ratings 18 Acknowledgments 19 References 19 3 April 2017 | NLR-TP-2017-120 This page is intentionally left blank. 4 NLR-TP-2017-120 | April 2017 JOURNAL OF GUIDANCE,CONTROL, AND DYNAMICS IntelligentI. Introducti Flight Controlon Systems Evaluation for Loss-of-Control Recovery and Prevention ∗ † M. H. Smaili and J. Breeman Netherlands Aerospace Centre, NLR, 1006 BM Amsterdam, The Netherlands T. J. J. Lombaerts‡ NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035 and J. A. Mulder,§ Q. P. Chu,¶ and O. Stroosma** Delft University of Technology, 2600 GB Delft, The Netherlands DOI: 10.2514/1.G001756 Recent developments in the field of loss-of-control recovery and prevention included improved pilot training, cockpit automation, and fault-tolerant control. The Flight Mechanics Action Group on Fault-Tolerant Control of the Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe demonstrated the advantages of fault-tolerant “intelligent,” flight control systems. The research enabled the improvement of the technology readiness level of these systems by evaluating one of them in realistic operational scenarios. The handling qualities results of a piloted flight simulator assessment with a damaged aircraft model showed that an online physical model identification approach contributed to improved pilot performance following potentially catastrophic structural and flight critical system failures. After the failures and subsequent control reconfiguration by the intelligent flight control system, airline and engineering test pilots experienced no difficulties in conducting a safe approach and landing. I. Introduction Intelligent flight control strategies might have saved two Boeing N INCREASING number of measures is currently being taken 737s due to rudder actuator hardovers and a Boeing 767 due to A by the international aviation community to prevent loss-of- inadvertent asymmetric thrust reverser deployment in flight. The control (LOC) accidents due to in-flight failures, structural damage, 1989 Sioux City DC-10