Electro-Mechanical Actuators for the More Electric Aircraft (Reliability and safety of electro-mechanical actuators for aircraft applications)

This chapter presents the basic reliability and safety concerns related to the development of airborne Electro-Mechanical Actuators (EMAs), which typically imply the necessity of redundant architectures for obtaining flightworthy solutions. The standard guidelines and procedures for the System Safety Assessment of airborne systems are presented, highlighting the methodical approach to be carried out throughout the systems’ design and testing. A practical example of Preliminary System Safety Assessment is also given, with reference to the electro-mechanical actuation system of the morphing flaps of a more electric aircraft demonstrator.