Real-time Rotorcraft Damage Detection and Control (R2D2C)

Current technology health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) equipment are very aircraft-specific, as they are based on data-driven methodologies that require significant flight test data to define sensitivities and measurement norms. The proposed approach incorporates an embedded aeromechanical rotor model within its monitoring function that greatly expands both the scope and the range of possible flight parameters to be monitored as part of a next-generation HUMS system. The added information may be included within the flight control system, via active inceptors at the pilot controls, to help mitigate damage in rotor system components detected in real-time during flight. These added features are possible through a combination of four key CDI technologies demonstrated in prior work: (1) the capability to operate the aeromechanical model in real-time; (2) a novel approach for rotor system sensing using accelerometer sensors; (3) a patented fault-detection methodology that has applications to generic rotor system response; and (4) an innovative approach for active inceptor force/response control. The resulting system should have wide applicability to both civil and military rotorcraft as well as future VTOL configurations.