Qualitative Validation Approach Using Digital Model for the Health Management of Electromechanical Actuators

An efficient and all-inclusive health management encompassing condition-based maintenance (CBM) environment plays a pivotal role in enhancing the useful life of mission-critical systems. Leveraging high fidelity digital modelling and simulation, scalable to digital twin (DT) representation, quadruples their performance prediction and health management regime. The work presented in this paper does exactly the same for an electric braking system (EBS) of a more-electric aircraft (MEA) by developing a highly representative digital model of its electro-mechanical actuator (EMA) and integrating it with the digital model of anti-skid braking system (ABS). We have shown how, when supported with more-realistic simulation and the application of a qualitative validation approach, various fault modes (such as open circuit, circuit intermittence, and jamming) are implemented in an EMA digital model, followed by their impact assessment. Substantial performance degradation of an electric braking system is observed along with associated hazards as different fault mode scenarios are introduced into the model. With the subsequent qualitative validation of an EMA digital model, a complete performance as well as reliability profile of an EMA can be built to enable its wider deployment and safe integration with a larger number of aircraft systems to achieve environmentally friendly objectives of the aircraft industry. Most significantly, the qualitative validation provides an efficient method of identifying various fault modes in an EMA through rapid monitoring of associated sensor signals and their comparative analysis. It is envisaged that when applied as an add-on in digital twin environment, it would help enhance its CBM capability and improve the overall health management regime of electric braking systems in more-electric aircraft.

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Inter-Turn Short-Circuit Failure of PMSM Indicator based on Kalman Filtering in Operational Behavior

Annual Conference of the PHM Society ◽

10.36001/phmconf.2019.v11i1.831 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Badr Mansouri ◽

Hicham Janati Idrissi ◽

Audrey Venon

Keyword(s):

Health Management ◽

Short Circuit ◽

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor ◽

Sensitive Indicator ◽

External Disturbances ◽

Residual Voltage ◽

Voltage Drops ◽

Electric Aircraft ◽

Short Circuit Fault ◽

More Electric Aircraft

In the next twenty years traffic aircraft will be doubled. Thus, avionic devices will become more and more electric and the aircrafts become lighter in order to save more fuel. Thus, the more electric aircraft will face a great challenge that of the predictive maintenance of its electrical equipments. A key component of these devices is the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM). In this article we are interested in one of the most recurrent failure of electric motor, that of the inter-turn short circuit failure. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to develop an interturn short-circuit sensitive indicator. It’s based on a linear Kalman filter for a healthy model to estimate residual voltage drops in the rotor reference (d,q). The proposed study shows a high sensitive indicator to the inter-turn short-circuit fault even under external disturbances. As well, several features can result from it, especially the signal energy, spectral and statistical information, etc. These features can highlight aging laws that will be used as patterns for Prognosis and Health Management (PHM) of inter-turn short-circuit failure.

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Structural Health Monitoring of Electro-Mechanical Actuators in Aviation: Recent Breakthroughs and Further Challenges

10.1115/qnde2021-75230 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vittorio Memmolo ◽

Carmine Vaselli ◽

Nicola Cimminiello ◽

Pasquale Salvato ◽

Ernesto Monaco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Failure Modes ◽

Mechanical Transmission ◽

Critical Systems ◽

Electromechanical Actuators ◽

Aerospace Applications ◽

Electric Aircraft ◽

Flight Controls ◽

Actuation Systems ◽

Consequent Improvement ◽

More Electric Aircraft

Abstract Electrical actuation systems have recently been introduced in aviation pursuing the concepts of More Electric Aircraft. Instead of employing hydraulic pipelines, Electro-Mechanical Actuator (EMA) transfers the power by “wires” with a consequent improvement of the aircraft actuation performance. However, the integration of linear electromechanical actuators is promising yet challenging in safety critical systems. Within this context, this work critically reviews electromechanical actuators currently available for aerospace application, the limits for their upcoming deployment and the different solutions to achieve an on-condition maintenance to reduce any safety risk during lifetime. First of all, the typical conversion mechanism adopted so far are briefly described with emphasis on the most suited for aerospace applications. A further insight is given to failure modes of these systems, which dramatically contrast the countless inherent advantages thereof. A particular attention is given to the jamming of the driven load, which is a critical mechanical transmission failure in many applications such as primary flight controls or landing gears extension and steering. Finally, the focus is moved to possible strategies to avoid any hazard induced by this failure. In particular, any structural alteration which is prone to induce jamming can be monitored towards the establishment of a predictive maintenance. Different possibilities are available in the way to timely assess the bearing of inner EMA surfaces where screwing is enabled.

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