AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEMS

R . VIJAIPRAKASH

CHIEF MANAGER

HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED

BANGALORE
AIRCRAFT TYPES

FIXED WING

ROTARY WING
FLYING MACHINE

FORCES- LIFT, DRAG, WEIGHT, THRUST

MOTIONS- PITCH, YAW, ROLL

COMPONENTS- WING, TAIL, FUSELAGE

CONTROL SURFACES

BY WAY OF MOVING/CHANGING PARTS OF WING ,

HORIZONTAL STABILIZER (TAIL PLANE) AND
VERTICAL STABILIZER (FIN) SUCH AS AILERON,
ELEVATOR, RUDDER RESPECTIVELY DIRECTIONAL
STABILITY OF AIRCRAFT SUCH AS ROLL (AILERON),
PITCH (ELEVATOR) AND YAW (RUDDER) CAN BE
ALTERED OR ADJUSTED AS REQUIRED.

AILERON, ELEVATOR, RUDDER OR ANY OTHER

SURFACES ADJUSTED FOR CONTROLLING
MOVEMENT OF AIRCRAFT ARE CALLED CONTROL
SURFACES.
MOTION CONTROL MECHANISMS
CLASSIC CABLE (METAL WIRE) CONTROLLED
AEROPLANES - ALL CABLE MOVEMENTS ARE
CONTROLLED MANUALLY THROUGH PULLEYS AND
LEVERS.
STRONG FORCES OF AIR EXCERTED ON
CONTROL SURFACES ARE FELT BY THE PILOT
MORE MUSCLE POWER IS SPENT THAT LEEDS
TO MORE PILOT STRESS AND FATIGUE
MOTION CONTROL MECHANISMS

PUSH PULL ROD CONTROLLED

AEROPLANES - POWER ASSISTED
MOVEMENT OF CONTROL RODS
RELIEVED PILOTS STRESS OF USING
MORE MUSCLE POWER.

CONTROL ROD ACTUATORS HELP TO

EVEN DEVELOP FEEDBACK
MECHANISMS TO ASSIST PILOTS TO
CONTROL AIRCRAFT AT WILL.
MOTION CONTROL MECHANISMS
FLY BY WIRE CONTROL – LATEST IN TECHNOLOGY WHEREIN MECHANICAL
LINKAGES RUNNING ALL ALONG FROM PILOT HANDLE TO ALL CONTROL
SURFACES ARE ELIMINATED RATHER MINIMIZED TO LOCAL AREAS .

ACTUATORS , POTENTIOMETERS, SENSORS AND TRANSDUCERS PLAY A MAJOR

ROLE IN TRANSMITTING MOTION BY WAY OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS. THESE
ELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICES TAKE THE PLACE OF MECHANICAL LINKAGES.

EVOLUTION FROM FULLY MECHANICAL CONTROL TO CONTROL THROUGH

ELECTRICAL SIGNALS IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF FLIGHT
CONTROL .

FLIGHT CONTROL COMPUTER MONITORS AND CONTROLS THE STABILITY OF

AIRCRAFT BY OVERRIDING ANY MALFUNCTION OF OTHER CONTROL DEVICES
THROUGH FEEDBACK MECHANISMS.
3Ms- MAN, MATERIAL & MACHINE IN AIRCRAFT
INDUSTRY
 3Ms- MAN, MATERIAL & MACHINE IN AIRCRAFT
INDUSTRY
SKILLED MAN POWER-

TO OPERATE HIGH END CNC MACHINES WHICH PRODUCE

COMPLICATE PROFILED LARGE SIZE COMPONENTS SUCH
AS WING SKIN, SPARS, LONGERONS ETC.,

TO COMPREHEND AND CARRY OUT PRECISION

ASSEMBLIES SUCH AS FUSELAGE, WING BUILD, ENGINE
ASSEMBLY AND TESTING, PRECISION MECHANICAL
ASSEMBLIES.
3Ms- MAN, MATERIAL & MACHINE IN AIRCRAFT
INDUSTRY

MATERIAL –
CHALLENGES MAN TO EXPLORE WAYS TO SELECT PROPER MATERIAL COMBINATION-
HEAT RESSITANT ALLOYS, HIGH HEAT ALLOYS, LIGHT WEIGHT WITH LEAST STRENGTH TO
WEIGHT RATIO MATERIALS FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION OF FINAL ASSEMBLED AIRCRAFT,
TUBE MATERIALS FOR HYDRAULIC, FUEL, AIR COOLING DUCT LINES, AVIONIC
INSTRUMENTS, GLASS COCKPIT MATERIAL THICKNESS AND MANY MORE.

MACHINING CHALLENGES ARE THROWN IN CASE OF TITANIUM , STEEL , NIMONIC

ALLOYS, MAGNESIUM ALLOYS FOR FABRICATION OF CRITICAL COMPONENTS.

CARBON FIBRE COMPOSITES, HONECOMB CORES, METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES , LATEST

MATERIAL RESEARCHES THROW MANY PERMUTATIONS FOR MATERIAL SELECTION TO
ACHIEVE FABRICATE LESS STRENGTH TO WEIGHT RATION COMPONENTS.
 3Ms- MAN, MATERIAL & MACHINE IN AIRCRAFT
INDUSTRY

MACHINE- INVESTMENT INTENSIVE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY’S MAJOR CHALLENGE

IS MATERIALISING THE IMAGINED CONCEPT OF FLYING MACHINE HOWEVER
COMPLICATED THE DESIGN IS. COMPLICATED DESIGNS ARE TO BE CONVERTED
INTO REAL MACHINED SOLID COMPONENTS BY USING ADVANCED MACHINING
CONCEPTS AND FINALLY INSPECTED USING LARGE CMM (COORDINATE
MEASURING MACHINE).

NUMERICALLY CONTROLLED MULTI AXIS MACHINING CENTERS, THERMOFORMING

MACHINES, WATER JET MACHINES , LASER CUTTING ARE SOME EXAMPLES .

ASSEMBLY JIGS BEING DEVELOPED TO HOLD AND ASSEMBLE AIRCRAFT

STRUCTURES TO MICRO PRECISION NEED CALIBRATION USING LASER TRACKER
INSPECTION TECHNIQUES.
AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY SET UP

QUALITY, TIME, MONEY IN THE ORDER ARE OF PRIME IMPORTANCE IN AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY.

QUALITY CAN NEVER BE COMPROMISED AND BEING MONITORED AT ALL STAGES THROUGH DOCUMENT
CONTROL AND PHYSICAL INSPECTION .

TO MAINTAIN TIME SCHEDULE ASSEMBLY BUILD SEQUENCE IS STRICTLY BEING MONITORED FOR TIMELY
COMPLETION AND LAGS MONITORED IF ANY.

INVESTMENT IN MATERIAL, MAN POWER , TOOLING ARE RATIONALISED AND OPTIMISED TO RESTRICT OVER
SPENDING. LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT IS THE LIFELINE AND GIVEN UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO MAINTAIN
CONTINUOUS FLOW. LOGISTICS INCLUDE ORDERING RIGHT MATERIAL AT RIGHT TIME, REQUIRED QUANTITY
AND RELIABLE SOURCE.
 AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

LONG TIME HEAVY INVESTMENT, HI-TECH, SCIENCE INTENSIVE, GLOBAL DEPENDENCE ARE ALL THE MAJOR RISKS
INVOLVED IN AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY.

INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE QUALITY STANDARDS / REGULATIONS TO BE FOLLOWED AND MAINTAINED.

RISK IN DEALING WITH INTERNATIONAL VENDORS OR SUPPLIERS AND THE RISK OF ECONOMIC UNCERTAINITIES DUE
TO SANCTIONS ON CERTAIN RESTRICTED OR CLASSIFIED TECHNOLOGIES BEING TRANSFERRED.

DEPENDENCE ON AEROSPACE RAW MATERIALS, CONSUMABLE CHEMICALS, LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

IN ELCTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION.
THANK YOU

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