Methodologies and tools for virtual design and testing of advanced flight control systems

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With the technology of fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls now well established in the sector of transport aircraft, the next logical evolution is to introduce more multi-functionality in the flight control system. For instance on the CSeries, the first FBW aircraft developed by Bombardier, the ailerons are drooped symmetrically a few degrees down in the take-off configuration to optimize the lift distribution for climb performance. The multi-functional use of flight controls has significant potential of increasing the fuel efficiency of future aircraft and thus contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of aviation. However, such advanced flight control systems feature significantly higher complexity than current systems and are also opening a very large design space of potential architecture options. New methodologies and tools therefore need to be researched to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the development process for such advanced flight control systems. The presented project with Bombardier will research such new methodologies and tools and will contribute to bringing novel flight control system architectures to fruition in the next generation of aircraft in Canada, by advancing the state-of the art of virtual design and virtual testing in three areas: (1) model-based systems engineering (MBSE), (2) model-based safety assessment (MBSA) and (3) model-based design (MBD). These new methodologies will lead to the development of leading edge flight control systems, reducing the environmental footprint of Canadian designed aircraft and increasing the cost effectiveness of Bombardier's development process to ensure sustained international competitiveness.