In the past years, several industrial programmes have initiated the concept of a More Electric Aircraft in order to reach objectives of reduced environmental emissions and noise. In fact, there is a consensus in the aerospace community that more electrically powered systems will lead to weight saving, reliability improvement and life-cycle cost reduction. Therefore, the use of electromechanical actuation (EMA) can be a solution to help the development of a cleaner aviation because, with respect to traditional hydraulic actuation, it is:
• Less complex because of the absence of a hydraulic system
• Better suited to long term storage since there is no leak potential
• More energy efficient compared with hydraulic systems
• Easier to install and maintain (no filtration, no bleeding, better testability with potential for more efficient maintenance planning)
• Less complex to control from a power-distribution and power-management perspective (power is
transmitted without mass transfer).
Nevertheless, some critical issues of this technology need to be addressed. Based on this scenario, the FASE-LAG project is specifically focused on overcoming these issues and improving technology performance, reliability and safety using new technologies and architecture.
Main technical objectives are as follows:
1. The development of electromechanical actuation system (EMAS) for landing gear application characterized by reduced spatial envelope and weight, improved reliability and increased safety level (having redundant architecture for emergency extension).
2. Testing the EMAS for landing gear actuation system in a test rig to verify the achievement of the targeted TRL.
At the end of project, the FASE-LAG consortium developed innovative actuation system for MLG and NLG exploiting a fault-tolerant / jamming-tolerant architecture suitable for safety-critical aerospace applications. Software and Electronic control unit able to control the dual electromechanical actuator were also developed. Finally, the actuation system was tested on a test rig.
The results reached in the FASE-LAG project allow to use this new and revolutionary actuator’s architecture in the next MEA generation both for Landing Gears applications both for primary slight surface control on A/C of mayor aerospace players.
