Implementation and Evaluation of Multiple Adaptive Control Technologies for a Generic Transport Aircraft Simulation

Presented here is the evaluation of multiple adaptive control technologies for a generic transport aircraft simulation. For this study, seven model reference adaptive control (MRAC) based technologies were considered. Each technology was integrated into an identical dynamic-inversion control architecture and tuned using a methodology based on metrics and specific design requirements. Simulation tests were then performed to evaluate each technology’s sensitivity to time-delay, flight condition, model uncertainty, and artificially induced cross-coupling. The resulting robustness and performance characteristics were used to identify potential strengths, weaknesses, and integration challenges of the individual adaptive control technologies. I. Introduction HE Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) project is a part of the Aviation Safety Program under the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) at NASA. A key focus of this project is to research the use of adaptive control technologies as a risk-mitigating tool for off-nominal aircraft flight. In a traditional gainscheduled design approach, the flight controller is designed by treating the aircraft’s flight envelope as a discrete space. Controls engineers then use traditional linear control techniques to shape the handling qualities of the aircraft at each of these discrete locations. In an off-nominal scenario, this design approach may breakdown as a result of the