Improving Stability and Performance of Flight Controls

This paper was produced for the 2019 NAFEMS World Congress in Quebec Canada

Resource Abstract

Thrust reversers are critical in ensuring an aircraft begins decelerating quickly and immediately after touchdown. They operate by placing an obstruction in the flow path of turbine cold flow to redirect the flow. There are a number of factors which can affect the operation of an aircraft during landing, many of which reduce the available runway distance for deceleration. Since the mechanism must be strong and reliable, it is important to understand the dynamics of critical components during typical duty cycles and how they affect the entire assembly.



System simulation enables one to evaluate the transient performance of mechatronic systems by using libraries of graphical icons from electrical, hydraulic and mechanical domains. It provides the tools to construct these systems and quickly evaluate behavior of individual components and test controls against a virtual prototype. By then connecting these systems to Multi Body Dynamics software, accuracy of motion studies can be improved by improving detail and precision of boundary conditions to calculate speed and positions of bodies.



Once components are connected together in a building block approach, parameters such as gear ratio, mass and motor properties are injected to achieve the correct behavior of the complete system. Then multiple duty cycles can quickly be tested to size the individual components, predict the dynamics of the motor and improve the controls algorithms all before a prototype is built. The end result is a highly accurate full physical model against which controls can be validated with certainty.