Overview of the Systems and Airframe Failure Emulation Testing & Integration (SAFETI) Laboratory at the NASA Langley Research Center 2001-01-2936

Validation of interconnected complex integrated systems performing critical and non-critical flight functions in adverse operating environments is essential to demonstrating compliance to certification requirements. The Systems and Airframe Failure Emulation, Testing, and Integration (SAFETI) Laboratory is being established to develop advanced experimental validation methods for such systems. The SAFETI Lab provides a forum to conduct extensive hardware-in-the-loop testing under a variety of faults, failures, and adverse environmental conditions (including electromagnetic effects due to lightning and High Intensity Radiated Fields) while operating in closed-loop with a computer simulation of the aircraft, sensors, actuators, and engines in flight with atmospheric conditions. SAFETI Lab experimental methods address (i) closed-loop operation of the system under test during a flight profile including mode switching, (ii) real-time dynamic detection of controller malfunctions that occur due to the effects of electromagnetic disturbances, and (iii) the resulting effects on the aircraft relative to the stage of flight, flight conditions, and required operational performance. This paper provides a description of current and planned capabilities of the NASA Langley SAFETI Lab.