Control design and state of the art for fly-by-wire systems

The report discusses the design and operation of electro-hydraulic servo-valves, illustrates a basic contol implementation design for an electro-hydraulic servo-valve controlled hydraulic actuator [for aircraft flight control actuation] and provides a survey of the state of the art of flight control of aircraft using fly-by-wire (FBW) architecture. The electro-hydraulic servo-valve figures prominently in typical FBW implementations and is an essential part of a modern aircraft flight control system. The scope of this report represents a large area of research, presented at a general level, and serves as a general summary of technologies and considerations for modern aircraft control. Fly-by-wire provides many advantages over traditional forms of aircraft flight control, and it represents both the state of the art in this area and also the future of almost all civilian and military aircraft flight control. The architecture, characteristics and control design relating to electro-hydraulic servo-valve controlled actuators is discussed in the report. The application of such actuators to fly-by-wire implementation is discussed in some depth, and the process by which fly-by-wire systems are developed is discussed.