Frontloading integrated aircraft systems simulation and virtual testing to accelerate design to certification
The evolution towards more electrical aircraft and the fact that systems become more integrated hence more interdependent, make aircraft development more complex. It drives up the need for Model Based System Engineering.
Individual aircraft systems are precisely modeled and analyzed with LMS’ simulation platforms for multi-physics modeling and system synthesis capabilities. The integrated operations of such systems for nominal, abnormal or failure mode use cases can be simulated as Virtual Integrated Aircraft to support early-on concepts studies and trade-offs, to validate aircraft functions early in the life cycle, and to optimize overall performance of hydraulic and electrical aircraft systems.
The LMS data management application for multi-physics and control models enables productive collaboration between engineering departments for subsystem and system engineering.
Virtual Integrated Aircraft analysis also provides insights on the aircraft systems dynamic interactions, leading to better definition of technical requirements for subsystems. As the aircraft advances, Virtual Integrated Aircraft analysis enables to monitor compliance of evolving subsystem designs with requirements, including interactions with other aircraft systems.
High fidelity and real-time simulation models enable the virtualization of the Iron Bird, into a Virtual Iron Bird. Multi-physics subsystem and system models can be reduced into high-fidelity, real-time simulation models, to frontload the testing of certain physical subsystems in combination with other “virtual” subsystems in a Hardware-in-the-Loop test set-up. It allows to frontload the validation of integrated aircraft systems operations, and speeds up controller, subassembly and full scale Iron Bird testing.
- Improved efficiency of aircraft system design and integration
- Compare functional performance of alternative architectures and technologies
- Deeper insight in system performance (electrical, thermal, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic) of components and subsystems, including dynamic interactions.
- Better validation of integration of aircraft systems from early stages of design
- More efficient test preparation and testing using virtual testing
References
- “Simulation enabled us to anticipate and reduce the inherent development risks of a new technology by incorporating an upstream validation regarding the technical choices. Simulation results obtained in the early project stages using LMS Imagine.Lab were later confirmed on test benches with a very good accuracy”. - Michael BENMOUSSA Senior Design Engineer Messier-Bugatti
- “Thanks to LMS Imagine.Lab, we managed to reduce the test rig development time by 25% and since we were able to perform part of the tests via simulation, the availability rate of the physical testing platform increased by approximately 60%. Having a virtual platform has become an absolute necessity. We have to be ready and anticipate requests from customers like Airbus to do testing in a common virtual environment – suppliers will need to be able to interface with OEMs. This will be the way of working in the future,” - Mr. Debiane, Certia
- “LMS Imagine.Lab enables us to eliminate on average 2-3 costly test sessions per component. ,It is a very powerful simulation platform that lets us think about how to make the component in the best possible manner, upfront.” - Mr. Jérôme Fraval, Performance & Modeling Engineer at Messier-Bugatti
