Control Surface Buffet Load Measurement Navy SBIR FY2009.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2009.1 Topic No.: N091-013 Topic Title: Control Surface Buffet Load Measurement Proposal No.: N091-013-0610 Firm: Systems Technology, Inc. 13766 S. Hawthorne Blvd. Hawthorne, California 90250-7083 Contact: Brian Danowsky Phone: (310) 679-2281 Web Site: www.systemstech.com Abstract: High performance aircraft experience repeated loads that can vary greatly both in frequency and amplitude depending on such factors as flight condition, maneuvering, and aeroelastic characteristics. Loads are monitored throughout the lifetime of military aircraft and used to estimate remaining structural life. Current airframe sensors are unsuitable for measuring unsteady aerodynamic buffet loads, which can be of significant amplitude and occur at frequencies that excite the aeroelastic dynamics, dramatically decreasing fatigue life. Systems Technology, Inc. and Moog, Inc. propose the Actuator Load Computing System (ALCS), an elegant and logistically attractive solution to this problem that employs onboard flight control actuators as load sensors capable of measuring both high frequency and quasi-steady loads. Since actuators directly measure the forces exerted on a control surface, these loads can be used as a robust reference gauge for what is occurring at the wing or tail surface as a whole. ALCS will leverage a novel frequency response identification technique, Narrowband Signature (NBS), which has proven to be successful with very short duration inputs. Since actuators are employed with all of the control surfaces, ALCS immediately extends itself for use with wings, vertical tails, and horizontal tails without the need for additional hardware. Benefits: The outcome of this project will be an Actuator Load Computation System (ALCS) comprising software algorithms that will be able to accurately measure, record and identify aerodynamic loads (with an emphasis on unsteady buffet loads) from control surface actuators during regular operation. The toolset may also include real-time identification of buffet loads with cues being fed to the cockpit (buffet-o-meter). To minimize life-cycle cost of the system, existing sensors that are typical for an actuator will be used to the maximum extent possible. Target markets are military and commercial aircraft manufacturers. Other markets include industrial machinery and structural analysis. Return