Clearance benchmark for a civil aircraft

Abstract

This chapter describes the benchmark problem which will be used in the following chapters to address the clearance of flight control laws. Two sub-problems are considered. The first one, called "nonlinear benchmark", aims at validating the aircraft behavior close to the operating domain limits using a nonlinear rigid body model. The second one, called "integral benchmark", uses large scale linear models including flexible structural modes and represents a challenging problem for robust stability analysis methods. For each benchmark the underlying models and the associated clearance criteria to be validated are presented. The underlying models include detailed models of the flight mechanics or structural mechanics, together with the flight control laws to be assessed, as well as simplified models of the actuators and sensors. The clearance criteria cover a large range of certification requirements, as linear stability and performance analysis, or time domain performance evaluations. The current AIRBUS clearance methodology is also described and realistic expectations are stated regarding potential cost savings (both clearance effort and time) by using enhanced clearance technologies. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.