Fleet-Wide Variability for an Integrated Flight and Propulsion System

Impact Technologies, LLC, in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney and Pennsylvania State University proposes the development and validation of a software tool for the analysis of robustness and performance of integrated flight and propulsion control systems. This tool will enable automated analysis of the system along with its parametric and non-parametric variability to quantify system stability margins, as well as time and frequency domain performance. During the analysis, it will quantify and incorporate variability and uncertainty in dynamic performance and control. This uncertainty characterization process will account for variability in the target platform during its useful life and across an entire fleet. This tool will draw upon techniques from multivariable robust controls, nonlinear system analysis, probability and nonlinear programming. It will also characterize the effect of variability on service life and fault progression. It will represent a significant improvement in computational, time and cost saving over more cumbersome and less robust state-of-the-art techniques like Monte Carlo simulation. The primary target platform of this tool is the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) propulsion system. During Phase I, Impact will work with Pratt & Whitney to develop and demonstrate this tool on a PC in Matlab/Simulink, using a generic engine and engine control model. Impact will also characterize the performance of this tool against state-of-the-art techniques. Phase II will expand this tool to enable analysis on the JSF integrated flight and propulsion control system. Phase III will enable migration to other engines, land based turbines, aeronautic and astronautic platforms.