Remaining useful life prediction based on the Wiener process for an aviation axial piston pump

An aviation hydraulic axial piston pump＇s degradation fiom comprehensive wear is a typical gradual failure model. Accurate wear prediction is difficult as random and uncertain char- acteristics must be factored into the estimation. The internal wear status of the axial piston pump is characterized by the return oil flow based on fault mechanism analysis of the main frictional pairs in the pump. The performance degradation model is described by the Wiener process to predict the remaining useful life （RUL） of the pump. Maximum likelihood estimation （MLE） is performed by utilizing the expectation maximization （EM） algorithm to estimate the initial parameters of the Wiener process while recursive estimation is conducted utilizing the Kalman filter method to estimate the drift coefficient of the Wiener process. The RUL of the pump is then calculated accord- ing to the performance degradation model based on the Wiener process. Experimental results indi- cate that the return oil flow is a suitable characteristic for reflecting the internal wear status of the axial piston pump, and thus the Wiener process-based method may effectively predicate the RUL of the pump.

Exploration and implementation of commonality valuation method in commercial aircraft family design

Commercial aircraft family design can reduce development costs, shorten development cycles, and expand the market coverage of aircraft. Commercial aircraft family development has become one of the most important features of modern aircraft design. This paper explores the effects of commonality on different aircraft models in a commercial aircraft family. The existing product commonality indexes are summarized and their limitations in the application to aircraft design are discussed. Then a new component commonality index is proposed based on the component decomposition structure. A model for calculating the aircraft program value is established,which considers development costs, manufacturing costs, sale price, operation costs and residual costs. The effects of aircraft commonality on time and economic costs of both development and manufacturing, and on sale price, are analyzed and quantified. The commonality evaluation strategy is obtained, which features comprehensive consideration of the aircraft program value and time costs. The break-even analysis of aircraft is proceeded on the basis of costs and price data. By using a real option method, the strategy considers the uncertainty of the aircraft program and the flexibility of the manufacturer. This strategy proves to be rational and applicable to aircraft design based on the calculation of three examples and the analysis of parameter sensitivity.