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In this paper the results obtained under a NASA Dryden Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project are described. At Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) we developed an efficient Integrated Failure Detection, Identification and Reconfiguration (FDIR) system referred to as the FLARE (Fast on-Line Actuator REconfiguration) system. The FLARE system achieves very fast detection and identification of failures in Electro-Mechanical Actuators (EMA), and effective control reconfiguration in the presence of single or multiple failures and recoveries even while rejecting external disturbances. The FLARE system combines different FDIR algorithms with a disturbance rejection mechanism within a retrofit control architecture. In collaboration with Boeing Phantom Works, the performance of the FLARE system has been extensively evaluated using high-fidelity and piloted simulators.

This paper summarizes the recent development of an adaptive aeroelastic wing shaping control technology called variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (VCCTEF). As wing flexibility increases, aeroelastic interactions with aerodynamic forces and moments become an increasingly important consideration in aircraft design and aerodynamic performance. Furthermore, aeroelastic interactions with flight dynamics can result in issues with vehicle stability and control. The initial VCCTEF concept was developed in 2010 by NASA under a NASA Innovation Fund study entitled “Elastically Shaped Future Air Vehicle Concept,” which showed that highly flexible wing aerodynamic surfaces can be elastically shaped in-flight by active control of wing twist and bending deflection in order to optimize the spanwise lift distribution for drag reduction. A collaboration between NASA and Boeing Research & Technology was subsequently funded by NASA from 2012 to 2014 to further develop the VCCTEF concept.