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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 92 - Dayton - October 2003
Agenda Location	8 SUBCOMMITTEE E – FLIGHT AND PROPULSION CONTROL SYSTEMS 8.2 Propulsion Controls Technology Development in the U. S. – A Historical Perspective
Title	Propulsion Controls Technology Development in the U. S. – A Historical Perspective
Presenter	Link Jaw and Sanjay Garg
Affiliation	Scientific Monitoring, Inc. and NASA Glenn Research Center, respectively
Available Downloads*	presentation
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Abstract	This paper presents a historical perspective of the advancement of control technologies for aircraft gas turbine engines. The paper primarily covers technology advances in the United States in the last 60 years (1940 ~ 2002). The paper emphasizes the pioneering work/accomplishments in control capabilities during the period. The paper assimilates knowledge and experience from industry experts, including personal interviews with both current and retired experts. Since the first United States-built aircraft gas turbine engine was flown in 1942, engine control technology has evolved from a simple hydro-mechanical fuel metering valve to a full-authority digital electronic control system that is common to all modern aircraft propulsion systems. At the same time, engine diagnostic technology has evolved from pilot observation of engine gauges to automated on-board diagnostic systems that use mathematical models to assess engine health and provide useful information for post-flight troubleshooting and maintenance. Using system complexity and capability as a measure, we can break the historical development of control systems down to four phases: 1) the start-up phase (1942 – 1949), 2) the growth phase (1950 – 1969), 3) the electronic phase (1970 – 1989), and 4) the integration phase (1990 – 2002). In each phase, the state-of-the-art control technology is described; the engines that have made historical landmarks, from the control’s standpoint, are identified. Then the historical perspective of the advancement of control technologies in the last 60 years is presented, in terms of control system complexity, number of sensors, number of lines of software (or embedded code), etc. This paper is dedicated to all those who have contributed to the advancement of air breathing propulsion control and health management capabilities in the world.