Fault-Tolerant control strategy for aircraft with asymmetric structure damage

Asymmetric structure damage such as loss of wing tip can cause unknown changes to the aircraft mass, center of gravity and aerodynamic characteristics, which will make the whole system becomes difficult to control. Aiming at this problem, this paper presents a robust fault-Tolerant control strategy based on nonlinear extended state observer and gain preset PID (Proportion Integration Differentiation) controller, which can well balance the system performance and the tolerance of damage. Firstly, the dynamic model of the aircraft with asymmetric structure damage is established. Then, an attitude controller is designed based on the proposed strategy. Finally, simulations are carried out to demonstrate the control law with NASA Generic Transport Model. Results show that the flight performance is well ensured after asymmetric structure damage occurring.