A quantitative inherent reconfiguration theory for a class of systems†

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Abstract
In aircraft flight control, most control surfaces are in pairs (elevators, ailerons, canards etc.), with each pair normally controlled as a single unit. If a surface fails, the usual approach is to attempt explicit identification and switch-in of compensation prepared for that contingency. In this paper each surface is separately controlled, permitting ‘inherent reconfiguration’, wherein the design is a priori made such that despite one or several simultaneous surface failures, the system still satisfies the original performance tolerance (of course over a smaller dynamic range), with the same original fixed compensation. Inherent reconfiguration is a natural extension of quantitative feedback theory (QFT), wherein the system design is tuned to the plant uncertainty set 𝒫 ={P}, and to the acceptable system output set,. In QFT one designs a priori so that the system output is in  for all P in 𝒫 Surface failures simply enlarge the set 𝒫. The transparency of QFT enables the designer to readily see the extra ‘cost of feedback’ for this enlargement of & by inclusion of surface failures.

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