Fault Detection of an Electrohydrostatic Actuator With the SVSF Time-Varying Boundary Layer Concept

The electrohydrostatic actuator (EHA) is an efficient type of actuator commonly used in aerospace applications. It makes use of a closed hydraulic circuit, a number of control valves, an electric motor, and a fluid pump (usually a type of gear pump). The smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) is a relatively new estimation strategy based on sliding mode concepts formulated in a predictor-corrector fashion. The SVSF offers a number of advantages over other traditional estimation methods, including robust and stable estimates, and an additional performance metric. A fixed smoothing boundary layer was implemented in an effort to ensure stable estimates, and is defined based on the amount of uncertainties and noise present in the estimation process. Recent advances in SVSF theory include a time-varying smoothing boundary layer. This method, known as the SVSF-VBL, offers an optimal formulation of the SVSF as well as a method for detecting changes or faults in a system. This paper implements the SVSF-VBL in an effort to detect faults in an EHA. The results are compared with traditional Kalman filter-based methods.