A data-driven health assessment method for electromechanical actuation systems

The design of health assessment applications for the electromechanical actuation system of the aircraft is a challenging task. Physics-of-failure models involve non-linear complex equations which are further complicated at the system-level. Data-driven techniques require run-to-failure tests to predict the remaining useful life. However, components are not allowed to run until failure in the aerospace engineering arena. Besides, when adding new monitoring elements for an improved health assessment, the airliner sets constraints due to the increased cost and weight. In this context, the health assessment of the electromechanical actuation system is a challenging task. In this paper we propose a data-driven approach which estimates the health state of the system without run-to-failure data and limited health information. The approach combines basic reliability theory with Bayesian concepts and obtained results show the feasibility of the technique for asset health assessment

Development of an aeronautical electromechanical actuator with real time health monitoring capability

Development and implementation of EMAs has increased rapidly during the last years in the context of the “more electrical aircraft”. One of the main technical key issues for the EMA implementation is the jamming. It can appear due to metalmetal contact of load transmission (in gearboxes, bearings and ball/roller screws). This problem penalizes the reliability although with very low failure rate. To overcome this problem in aeronautical EMAs are actually several ways investigated, where one of the most attractive and with more promising is the implementation of advanced monitoring systems. This implementation of “smart” monitoring systems will imply a clear economical profit in the final product and in the complete system: envisaged benefits will be lower maintenance costs with higher reliability, instead of increasing maintenance costs and decreasing reliability for classical components without Health Monitoring. At the end, the selection of the Health Monitoring and Management system will be able to establish different levels of validation: failure detection, diagnostic and prognostic; this will provide a proactive maintenance strategy in order to replace EMA before failure. A demonstrator prototype of an innovative electromechanical actuator with real time health monitoring capability has been designed and developed by SENER. This actuator type can be taken as a reference for typical secondary control surface applications. This development is based on previous work performed by SENER in AWIATOR project where one of the tasks was the design and calculation of the new flap trailing edge with MINITEDs. In addition, this work included the supports and linkages of the current actuator to the MINITED. This compact electromechanical actuator shows innovations with respect to current state-of-the-art electrical actuators as lightness and compactness of the resulting actuator, with high power density within small dimensions. As an added value, an additional plug module is under development for real time health monitoring to detect potential working incidents: “smart actuator”. One of the additional key points will be the health management in order to solve the introduction of these systems in EMAs, and to check the compatibility with the aircraft systems