Task: Integration Testing on a Mechatronic Test Bench
Aircraft electrification is a topic of increasing interest in the industry. In addition to electric propulsion, it affects many aircraft subsystems that were traditionally driven hydraulically, e.g., the backup systems of the primary or secondary flight control. To ensure high reliability, performance, and operational safety of these new systems, engineers also seek new matching test strategies. Testing an electromechanical actuator (EMA) requires component and system verification in different development phases, including integration testing of the controller together with the mechanical parts of the actuation system on a mechatronic test bench.
However, testing of these integrated systems on a mechatronic test bench still requires simulation of connected systems that are not available yet, e.g., the flight control system. In addition, simulation of aerodynamic loads pushing against the control surface steered by the actuator is also required, e.g., to test complete flight missions in the loop. To achieve this goal, a performant hardware-in-the-loop testing system needs to be added to the test rig that provides all necessary signals for the system under test in real time.
Solution: Performant Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing System
The dSPACE SCALEXIO system is a perfect fit for this task. It provides a scalable closed-loop environment simulation including control, fault injection, measurement, monitoring, and data acquisition capabilities. Real as well as simulated pilot commands can be used as input to cover complete flight missions for repeatable and automated testing. In addition, SCALEXIO provides a single platform for verification of the device under test in different development phases. This flexibility is achieved by enabling simulation of either the entire electromechanical system, individual components such as electric drives, or the aircraft environment only.
