Modificatie Flight Controls - Portfolio Matthijs van Essen
Modificatie Flight Controls - Portfolio Matthijs van Essen
Modificatie Flight Controls - Portfolio Matthijs van Essen
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<strong>Modificatie</strong> flight controls 2a1ap Aviation Studies<br />
Summary<br />
Project team 2A1AP has got the task from Amsterdam Leeuwenburg Airlines (ALA) to do a research if<br />
it is profitable to do a modification from a conventional to a fly-by-wire system.<br />
The principles of a flight rests on the aerodynamics. The two main aerodynamic laws are the law of<br />
Bernoulli and the law of continuity. The law of Bernoulli is also known as the law of conservation of<br />
energy or the law of conservation of volume. With the law of Bernoulli it is possible to see what is the<br />
relationship between the speed en the pressure of a flow.<br />
The wing of an airplane generates lift. <strong>Flight</strong> controls makes it possible to let the airplane turn around<br />
three axes. The ailerons will let the airplane turn around its longitudinal axis, the elevator around its<br />
lateral axis and the rudder around its vertical axis. There are four forces on an airplane during a<br />
flight: the trust, drag, lift and weight.<br />
There are two sorts of flight controls: the primary and the secondary. The primary flight controls are<br />
the aileron, rudder and the elevator. The three movements around the three axes are called: to roll,<br />
to pitch and to yaw. The secondary flight controls are the flaps, slats, spoilers en the trim. These controls<br />
supports the primary flight controls. The flight controls are driving by hydraulic systems. The<br />
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has put requirements to improve the safety of the airplanes.<br />
One of these requirements is that there has to be a back-up system that can take over a system<br />
where is occurred an error.<br />
There are two ways to let the flight controls be functional. This can be done by a conventional system<br />
or by a fly-by-wire system. The conventional system uses a control column to move the flight controls.<br />
The movements of the control column has to be convert to a signal. This conversion is done by<br />
cables and pulleys by the elevators. The hydraulic network consists of three hydraulic systems. Two<br />
of these has their own drivetrain. The third one is a back-up system. Each primary flight control has<br />
their own back-up system.<br />
The fly-by-wire system uses electrical signals and a side-stick to move the flight controls.<br />
An ad<strong>van</strong>tage of the conventional system is that the pilot feels a pressure on the control column. A<br />
big disad<strong>van</strong>tage of the conventional system is the wear of the moving mechanic parts.<br />
During the modification it is necessary to bear different factors in mind like the costs, safety and durability.<br />
To do the modification during a D-check will cut down the costs. After a research it appeared<br />
that the airplane would be meet to all requirements after a modification. Referring to a cost volume<br />
profit analysis it appeared that a modification is not profitable. The break-even-point will be obtained<br />
after 42 years. In this period the life span of an airplane will be exceeded.<br />
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