Friction Fault Detection of an Electrohydrostatic Actuator

This article discusses the application of a novel model-based fault detection method. The method is based on the interacting multiple model (IMM) strategy, which makes use of a finite number of known operating modes. A filter is used in conjunction with the IMM in order to estimate the states and parameters of the system. The smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) is a relatively new estimation strategy, and is based on sliding mode concepts which introduces an inherent amount of robustness and stability. The combined SVSF-IMM strategy is applied on an electrohydrostatic actuator (EHA), which is a device used in the aerospace industry. Two different operating modes were created, based on varying degrees of friction acting on the EHA cylinder. The results of the friction fault detection were compared with the popular Kalman filter (KF) based IMM strategy.Copyright © 2011 by ASME