Laboratory Testing of Torque Control of Electro-Mechanical Flight Surface Actuation including Friction Compensation

Abstract

At the DLR, torque control of electro-mechanical flight surface actuation has been developed. Electro-mechanical actuation is a key technology for future, more eco-friendly commercial aircraft. Torque control of flight surfaces is a promising concept motivated by the functional principle of electro-mechanical actuation. Following simulation-based studies on the torque controller concept and parameter optimisation, laboratory testing of the controller was conducted using an instrumented rotary electro-mechanical actuator on a test bench that was set up for this purpose. This paper describes the results and insights gained from the testing. As an important finding, the actuator reducer gear’s frictional behaviour is more complex than assumed in the prior optimisation studies. This has led to refinement of the friction compensation included in the torque controller.