Actuation failure modes and effects analysis for a small UAV

Existing low-cost unmanned aerospace systems are unreliable, and engineers must blend reliability analysis with fault-tolerant control in novel ways. This paper performs a conventional failure modes and effects analysis for a small unmanned aerial vehicle and extends the analysis by examining nonlinear and linear system properties. Failure likelihood, severity, and risk are qualitatively assessed for several effector failure modes. Vehicle tolerance of elevator actuator failures is studied further using high-fidelity simulations, and the achievable steady, wings-level flight envelope is determined for the healthy and damaged vehicle. This paper analyzes simulation and experimental flight data, revealing insight regarding significant performance limitations for adaptive/reconfigurable control algorithms on similar low-cost platforms.