Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems

This article presents fault-tolerant dynamic allocation strategies designed to mitigate propulsion and actuation failures in launch vehicles using a clustered engine configuration. In particular, it addresses engine thrust loss and thrust vector control (TVC) jamming faults during the atmospheric as...

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Main Authors: Diego Navarro-Tapia, Pedro Simplício, Andrés Marcos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Aerospace
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/393
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author Diego Navarro-Tapia
Pedro Simplício
Andrés Marcos
author_facet Diego Navarro-Tapia
Pedro Simplício
Andrés Marcos
author_sort Diego Navarro-Tapia
collection DOAJ
description This article presents fault-tolerant dynamic allocation strategies designed to mitigate propulsion and actuation failures in launch vehicles using a clustered engine configuration. In particular, it addresses engine thrust loss and thrust vector control (TVC) jamming faults during the atmospheric ascent flight of a five-engine launch vehicle. Three different strategies are introduced: a fault-tolerant pseudo-inverse solution, a convex optimization-based approach, and a constrained nonlinear optimization one. These approaches are analyzed and compared at a linear design point and further evaluated using a nonlinear simulator of the launcher. The results demonstrate that these three dynamic allocation techniques are able to provide successful recovery from engine thrust loss failures (up to a certain level depending on the engine throttling capability), TVC actuator jamming failures, and simultaneous engine and actuator failures.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2226-4310
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Aerospace
spelling doaj-art-f2e60bbf4eab46949c81ab2d6b9c95d62025-08-20T03:47:49ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-04-0112539310.3390/aerospace12050393Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher SystemsDiego Navarro-Tapia0Pedro Simplício1Andrés Marcos2Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Department of Aerospace Engineering, 28911 Leganés, SpainEuropean Space Agency-European Space Research and Technology Centre, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The NetherlandsUniversidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), Department of Aerospace Engineering, 28911 Leganés, SpainThis article presents fault-tolerant dynamic allocation strategies designed to mitigate propulsion and actuation failures in launch vehicles using a clustered engine configuration. In particular, it addresses engine thrust loss and thrust vector control (TVC) jamming faults during the atmospheric ascent flight of a five-engine launch vehicle. Three different strategies are introduced: a fault-tolerant pseudo-inverse solution, a convex optimization-based approach, and a constrained nonlinear optimization one. These approaches are analyzed and compared at a linear design point and further evaluated using a nonlinear simulator of the launcher. The results demonstrate that these three dynamic allocation techniques are able to provide successful recovery from engine thrust loss failures (up to a certain level depending on the engine throttling capability), TVC actuator jamming failures, and simultaneous engine and actuator failures.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/393fault-tolerant controllaunch vehicledynamic allocationengine failureactuation failurefault accommodation and reconfiguration strategies
spellingShingle Diego Navarro-Tapia
Pedro Simplício
Andrés Marcos
Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
Aerospace
fault-tolerant control
launch vehicle
dynamic allocation
engine failure
actuation failure
fault accommodation and reconfiguration strategies
title Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
title_full Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
title_fullStr Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
title_full_unstemmed Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
title_short Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Allocation Strategies for Launcher Systems
title_sort fault tolerant dynamic allocation strategies for launcher systems
topic fault-tolerant control
launch vehicle
dynamic allocation
engine failure
actuation failure
fault accommodation and reconfiguration strategies
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/5/393
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AT pedrosimplicio faulttolerantdynamicallocationstrategiesforlaunchersystems
AT andresmarcos faulttolerantdynamicallocationstrategiesforlaunchersystems