Flight control system design and optimisation with a genetic algorithm

A design procedure for a flight control system is here presented. An optimisation process, based on a genetic algorithm, is used to meet the frequency domain handling qualities requirements for the longitudinal plane. The parameters are implemented as fitness functions related to the expected magnitude of bandwidth and delay. The impact of the parametric shaping of the fitness functions on the search and optimisation process is also evaluated. The dynamic response of the augmented aircraft is obtained for a realistic simulation case, validated after comparison with reference test data. The bandwidth and the delay of the longitudinal short term attitude response are estimated before and after the inclusion of the flight control system in the simulation model, and the parameters are compared with the expected handling qualities levels. The feasibility of the design process is demonstrated and the overall performance of the generation process is analyzed.