This research work presents a fault-tolerant flight guidance and control framework to deal with damaged aircraft. Damaged scenarios include the loss of thrust, actuator malfunction and airframe damage. The developed framework objective is to ensure that damaged aircraft can be stabilized and controlled at all times. The guidance system is responsible for providing the airspeed, vertical and horizontal flight path angle commands while considering aircraft dynamics. The control system, designed by the nonlinear state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) control method, is used to track the guidance commands and to stabilize the damaged aircraft. The versatility of SDRE allows it to passively adapt to the aircraft parameter variations due to damage. A novel nonlinear adaptive control law is proposed to improve the controller performance. The new control law demonstrated improved tracking ability. The framework is implemented on the nonlinear Boeing 747 and NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) to investigate the simulation results.

This research work presents a fault-tolerant flight guidance and control framework to deal with damaged aircraft. Damaged scenarios include the loss of thrust, actuator malfunction and airframe damage. The developed framework objective is to ensure that damaged aircraft can be stabilized and controlled at all times. The guidance system is responsible for providing the airspeed, vertical and horizontal flight path angle commands while considering aircraft dynamics. The control system, designed by the nonlinear state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) control method, is used to track the guidance commands and to stabilize the damaged aircraft. The versatility of SDRE allows it to passively adapt to the aircraft parameter variations due to damage. A novel nonlinear adaptive control law is proposed to improve the controller performance. The new control law demonstrated improved tracking ability. The framework is implemented on the nonlinear Boeing 747 and NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) to investigate the simulation results.

To improve the recoverability and survivability of aircraft after damage, a better understanding of the flight dynamics and the structural loads is needed. However, damage can introduce asymmetries that complicate the modeling. An extended vortex lattice code is used to model the quasi-steady aerodynamic forces. The vortex lattice method provides the force distribution which is not available elsewhere. Snapshots from the vortex lattice model are used to generate a reduced order model (ROM). This ROM contains non-linear terms to account for non-linearities that the damage can introduce. The ROM is coupled with equations of motion which are able to account for instantaneous shifts in the center of gravity caused by the damage. This methodology is applied to the generic transport model (GTM) with the loss of a portion of the port wing tip. This model is used to examine the effects of the damage on the aircraft's trim and the stability of that trim. This model is also used to calculate the aerodynamic, inertial, and propulsive loads on the wing as the aircraft is maneuvering. / Master of Science