Overview of the Digital Hydraulic Actuator (DHA) Concept for Aircraft

Research of new conceptions for aircraft actuators are gaining prominence, mainly due to the low energy efficiency of the current dominant systems in the sector. More Electrical Aircraft – MEA is a concept that has guided the realization of several researches on electro-mechanical (EMA) and electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA). Airbus A380 and Boeing 787, for instance, present some innovations with origin in these researches. However, for safety reasons, the primary control surfaces are normally driven by conventional servo-hydraulic systems, which leaves this subject open to new researches. Presented this scenario, the Laboratory of Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems – LASHIP, the Division of Fluid and Mechatronic Systems – FLUMES, and the Svenska Aeroplan AB – SAAB started the development of a new conception of flight surface actuation, applying digital fluid power strategies, thus appointing the Digital Hydraulic Actuator – DHA. In this scope, this abstract aims to present all the steps of the DHA development, furthermore, shows the research’s status and future challenges to bring closer academic studies with the aero industry. The extended abstract was organized through a timeline with all publications about the DHA concept written by these research groups. Also, the existing research project is presented, where the goals are the solution of intrinsic problems of the digital hydraulic systems and the reliability analysis of this concept.