Simplified Estimation Algorithms for Aircraft Structural Damage Effects Using an Artificial Immune System

Abstract

The development of simplified models for the estimation of flight envelope reduction under damages to aircraft structural components, within the artificial immune system paradigm, is presented in this paper. The proposed methodology is part of a comprehensive and integrated framework for aircraft abnormal condition detection, identification, evaluation, and accommodation aimed at ensuring aircraft high survivability rates and operation safety. An artificial immune system built through simulation for a fighter aircraft is used in conjunction with a hierarchical multi-self strategy for estimating ranges of flight envelope relevant variables under structural damages affecting the wing, the horizontal tail, and the vertical tail. Flight envelope ranges are predicted when the lift-generating capabilities of the main aerodynamic surfaces are reduced, based on algorithms that are tailored to the nature and characteristics of the failure and 2-dimensional self projections. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using ad-hoc metrics and demonstrated successfully through simulation tests in a motion-based flight simulator.