Advancing Electronic Technology Impact on Integrated Propulsion/Airframe Controls Design and Development

Many exciting opportunities to enhance aircraft performance, cost and reliability/availability are rapidly becoming available to the propulsion system designer, with use of digital electronics, information/sensor sharing between airframe systems, and integrated functional designs for propulsion and aircraft flight controls. The propulsion engineer must become an active participant in this area to take full advantage of the advanced technology. In this endeavor, he is faced with the task, which seems to occur all so frequently in a rapidly advancing technology age, of developing new working tools and approaches not normally part of the propulsion engineers experience. A discussion is presented of some key technologies available to the propulsion designer, such as digital electronics, serial data buses, analytical redundancy and avionics standards. Analytical tools in computational fluid flow analysis and modern control theories are reviewed. These tools can be utilized to provide the analytical understanding of the flow characteristics of the propulsion system and to develop the optimal control laws for multivariable, integrated control systems. A design methodology for integrating the propulsion control system with the aircraft controls and avionics systems is presented. The required simulation facilities necessary for the development and checkout of integrated systems are described with examples of their use in advanced research projects.