Fly-By-Wire INDI-Based Generic Control Laws for Flexible Civil Transport Aircraft

On the one hand, new generation of civil transport aircraft can present aeroelastic coupling between flight mechanics and structural dynamics. The lower-frequency flexible dynamics can be perceptible by a fly-by-wire (FBW) controller. This requires control law design that takes into account the flexible dynamics. On the other hand, recent developments on feedback linearization by means of Incremental Nonlinear Dynamics Inversion (INDI) allow considering the design of generic control laws that can be applied to several aircraft with a minimum effort of adaptation and tuning. Bombardier developed linear and nonlinear civil transport aircraft dynamics models that take into account the flexible dynamics. Bombardier also developed a prototype INDI-based CLaws with promising results demonstrated on a rigid aircraft model. This project aims to improve this prototype CLaws so that it can also manage the aircraft flexible dynamics. Based on literature review and previous Bombardier researches, the student will conduct a conceptual design of these enhanced INDI-based CLaws functions and will validate the proposed solution by simulation using Bombardier high fidelity simulator and performance assessment tools.

Faculty Supervisor:

David Saussié

Student:

Fréderick Laliberté

Partner:

Bombardier Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

École Polytechnique de Montréal