Failure detection, identification and reconfiguration - applications for a modular iron bird

Abstract

The permanently fast growth of airline market must not lead to rising numbers of accidents. To improve aircraft safety, pilot workload has to be reeduced especially in critical situations. This paper describes the system architecture of a new test rig to evaluate the iron bird to demonstrate its potential deals with the evaluation of a solution for reconfiguration: elevator failures are compensated by using a new Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer Actuator concept with higher dynamics, which can be integrated in modern airliners. The test rig enables research on the interactions of different subsystems for failure detection, identification and reconfiguration of the modified controller by using Hardware-in-the-Loop tests of flight control actuators in combination with pilot evaluations in a cockpit simulator.