A leading supplier of a wide array of aerospace hydraulics, components, and systems for commercial and military aviation, military weapons, marine, and off-road markets around the world was the OEM for an aerospace client developing new aircraft designs. ACS was brought on to design and build four hydraulic testing stations that could simulate the hydraulic control modules of a new aircraft and could control and acquire data on the hydraulic power generation system. These sophisticated stations were essential for thorough validation. The systems were designed to interface with all the other vehicle subsystems, which our client assembled in the lab as a single, integrated unit. A pilot and copilot could then “fly” the new aircraft in a simulated environment to test the systems individually and as a complete unit, ensuring comprehensive evaluation of the aerospace hydraulics.
ACS created a hydraulic testing station, for the aircraft engine test cell, consisting of our Acselerant software, a real-time controller operating the System Environment Model (SEM) and the Hydraulic Control Module (HCM). The SEM system uses an NI™ PXI real-time controller, PXI-based digital and analog IO modules, and NI EtherCAT-based digital and analog IO modules. This advanced setup provides precise control over the complex aerospace hydraulics.
The test station gives the client the flexibility to swap out models and physical parts at any time and test the impact on the rest of the system. The station was built on a defined common architecture for communication over ARINC429, enabling it to interact dynamically with the other subsystems and models, crucial for effective hydraulic testing station performance.
Beyond its primary function of controlling and collecting critical data on the aerospace hydraulics system, this advanced test station serves as a comprehensive simulation powerhouse, integrating hardware-in-the-loop (HiL), model-in-the-loop (MiL), and software-in-the-loop (SiL) capabilities. This multi-faceted approach provides the client with an unparalleled advantage in their development process. The hydraulic testing station enables the precise simulation of a wide range of virtual and physical faults within the hydraulic control modules. It gives the client the ability to simulate virtual and physical faults in the hydraulic control modules such as short to battery, short to ground, or open circuit. By simulating these real-world challenges in a controlled environment, the client can thoroughly evaluate the intricate interactions between hardware components and their controlling software. This proactive testing approach ensures that they can identify and optimize every aspect of the aerospace hydraulics system, from individual hydraulic control modules to the overarching network, long before the costly and time-consuming process of building physical prototypes begins.
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