Fault detection and diagnosis for aerodynamic surface damage of a reusable launch vehicle

During the reentry stage of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV), aerodynamic surface damage of the vehicle may affect its capability and threaten its safety. When the vehicle surface is damaged, the change of aerodynamic parameters follows a rule, i.e., the difference between the normal aerodynamic parameter vector and the fault aerodynamic parameter vector is proportional to the normal vector, and the proportion coefficient is the failure rate of surface damage. Based on the aerodynamic structure of the vehicle, the angular acceleration of the damaged surface can be estimated by using the failure rate of surface damage. By comparing the estimated angular acceleration with the actual one, the residuals can be obtained to further implement fault detection and diagnosis for surface damage. The simulation results show that the proposed detection and diagnosis method is effective and can meet the application requirements.