Development of a hydraulic installation for electro-hydraulic integration of hybrid surface actuation systems in on-ground rigs

Project Information

HYDRO_RIG 3G

Grant agreement ID: 754815

DOI

10.3030/754815

Project closed

EC signature date 2 June 2017

Start date 1 June 2017

End date 31 May 2020

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 330 313,75

EU contribution

€ 231 219,63

Coordinated by

AERONAUTICA, INGENIERIA, ENERGIAS RENOVABLES Y SEGURIDAD
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HYDRO_RIG 3G (Development of a hydraulic installation for electro-hydraulic integration of hybrid surface actuation systems in on-ground rigs)

Reporting period: 2018-12-01 to 2020-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

"The general concept behind the project is the performance test of the surfaces of the aircraft. These surfaces may be operated by hydraulic and electrical systems, and can thus be a comparative thereof. This hydraulic rig is crucial to understand the interrelationships between the systems flight performance surfaces electrically and / or hydraulically powered.

The project HYDRO_RIG 3G has been conceived to develop an A/C representative hydraulic installation that integrates all the A/C hydraulic system equipment, considering hydraulic generation and hydraulic distribution, and the corresponding sensors fully representative of flight test instrumentation (FTI), in order to reproduce complete A/C conditions that will be present in the Regional FTB#2 Demonstrator, regarding to the actuation of hybrid surfaces as ailerons. The system is fully representative of A/C environment like volume, pressure loss, etc. For this, it is necessary to simulate all components that integrate the system. FTI sensors are installed with a wireless system as shown in Figure 1.

HYDRO_RIG 3G will contribute to test operational conditions combining hydraulic and electrical compounds in those systems that ensure an increase of the electrical control without negative effects between both of them, in order to reduce weight and volume of the equipment, saving fuel and hence contributing to the reduction of fuel consumed to reach the targets set by FlightPath 2050: 75% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre and a 90% reduction in NOx emissions."

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

All technical work has been completed as scheduled, accomplishing the proposed objectives of both design and manufacturing. The main works carried out have been:
- Simulations of commercial elements until reaching an almost complete similarity of A / C conditions.
- Manufacturing of a hydraulic installation based on the previous simulations.
- Manufacturing of an HVDC electrical network for the management of A / C surfaces.
- Start-up of a wireless system for FTI sensors.
- System for the interconnection, switching and automatic cutting in patching panels.
- Integration of different operating modes: stand alone mode and integrated mode.
- Manufacturing of a signal acquisition and control system capable of monitoring the entire bank.

Hence, a bank capable of reproducing the electro-hydraulic conditions of the aircraft has been achieved (Figure 2), integrating both A / C equipment and simulated equipment for the control of surfaces (aileron, spoiler, flap and winglet).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

HYDRO_RIG 3G has developed an electro-hydraulic rig capable of varying the pressure loss of the branches that go to consumers. The rig allows software control and perform optimization models to reduce in flight losses and thus improve the consumption.

The impact market of this development could range anywhere from design departments of manufacturing companies, TIER 1 and companies subcontracted for the manufacturing of structures.

HYDRO_RIG 3G developments offer applications of wireless technologies in a market dominated by technologies of structured wiring. HYDRO_RIC 3G offers the major advantage of wired technology (security connection) but without the two major drawbacks off current technology: the high weight and the difficulty of assembling.

The project allows to elaborate patterns based upon real acquired and elaborated parameters that describe the system operation and allow to define maintenance intervals and to reduce the workload of FTI engineers.

Currently available test systems require the action of technical personnel to simulate errors, or perform signal reading and mainly to bypass when signals can be generated by various sources, simulated by an external system or read by various devices under test.
With HYDRO_RIG 3F system, we will be able to have a first solution, which should be evolved subsequently, to make this process automatic, allowing a great time saving for test developers and to include more variables to the system, thus they can more reliably detect possible errors both in the HW and SW of the units under test.

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