Evaluation of a multiple-model failure detection system for the F-16 in a full-scale nonlinear simulation

A multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) algorithm is implemented with the fully nonlinear six-degree-of-motion, simulation rapid-prototyping facility (SRF) VISTA F-16 software simulation tool. The algorithm is composed of a bank of Kalman filters modeled to match particular hypotheses of the real world. Each presumes a single failure in one of the flight-critical actuators, or sensors, and one presumes no failure. The algorithm is demonstrated to be capable of identifying flight-critical aircraft actuator and sensor failures at a low dynamic pressure (20,000 ft, .4 Mach). Research considers single hardover failures. Tuning methods for accommodating model mismatch, including addition of discrete dynamics pseudonoise and measurement pseudonoise, are discussed and demonstrated. Robustness to sensor failures provided by MMAE-based control is also demonstrated.