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Immunity-based accommodation of aircraft subsystem failures

Adil Togayev (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA)
Mario Perhinschi (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA)
Hever Moncayo (Department of Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA)
Dia Al Azzawi (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA)
Andres Perez (Department of Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA)

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

ISSN: 0002-2667

Article publication date: 3 January 2017

128

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the design, development and flight-simulation testing of an artificial immune-system-based approach for accommodation of different aircraft sub-system failures/damages.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is based on building an artificial memory, which represents self- (nominal conditions) and non-self (abnormal conditions) within the artificial immune system paradigm. Self- and non-self are structured as a set of memory cells consisting of measurement strings, over pre-defined time windows. Each string is a set of features values at each sample time of the flight. The accommodation algorithm is based on the cell in the memory that is the most similar to the in-coming measurement. Once the best match is found, control commands corresponding to this match are extracted from the memory and used for control purposes.

Findings

The results demonstrate the possibility of extracting pilot compensatory commands from the self/non-self structure and capability of the artificial-immune-system-based scheme to accommodate an actuator malfunction, maintain control and complete the task.

Research limitations/implications

This paper concentrates on investigation of the possibility of extracting compensatory pilot commands. This is a preliminary step toward a more comprehensive solution to the aircraft abnormal condition accommodation problem.

Practical implications

The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a motion-based flight simulator for actuator and sensor failures.

Originality/value

This research effort is focused on investigating the use of the artificial immune system paradigm for control purposes based on a novel methodology.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors specially thank Caraline Griffith and Steven Hard who have volunteered to be flight simulator test pilots for this research effort.

This research effort has been supported by DARPA Tactical Technology Office under contract number HR0011-13-C-0024. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the US Government.

Citation

Togayev, A., Perhinschi, M., Moncayo, H., Al Azzawi, D. and Perez, A. (2017), "Immunity-based accommodation of aircraft subsystem failures", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 89 No. 1, pp. 164-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-08-2014-0124

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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