Enhanced HUMS for Fixed-Wing Aircraft

Transcription

1 Enhanced HUMS for Fixed-Wing Aircraft Seth S. Kessler, Ph.D. President/CEO Metis Design Corporation Peter Carini Platform Chief PHM & SHM United Technologies Aerospace Systems USAF approved for public release USN approved for public release

2 Problem Impossible to test or simulate structural configuration for every combination of static, dynamic & environmental load conditions Therefore, conservative damage tolerant approach used Inspection intervals set to guarantee flaw is detected before critical Requires tear-down manual inspection by highly specialized experts Approach is very safe, however time-consuming & expensive Drives up life-cycle costs, particularly for aging aircraft Limits asset availability (tear-down at specific facility) Resulting data format is difficult to fuse for useful fleet-wide trends Susceptible to unanticipated damage events & unexpected flaw locations Need reliable system for automated structural state awareness accurately diagnose precursors to visual damage provide structural prognostics for condition based maintenance 12/04/2017 2

3 Solution Health & Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) presently for rotorcraft CBM data for dynamic components such as rotors, shafts & bearings Collection is automated, data is easily trended at aircraft & fleet-level Cost-savings & improved asset availability has been well documented Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) enables HUMS for fixed-wing Extend coverage to quasi-static structures such as fuselage & wing skins Can provide high-fidelity local coverage or lower-fidelity global coverage Detection of cracks, corrosion, disbond/delamination, impact damage Guide inspection/maintenance, streamline logistics for depot/suppliers MD7-Pro Digital SHM System Developed through multiple USAF/Navy SBIR Phase II efforts Beamforming ultrasonic sensors for large-area structural sonar Distributed data acquisition architecture reduces overall system mass Being validated: USAF (C5), NAVAIR (Triton, CH-53K) & Army (UH-60) 12/04/2017 3

4 Benefits Near term benefits with off-line SHM Reduce inspection costs through automation, no tear-down Reduce maintenance cost through condition-based actions Improved asset availability through less inspection/maintenance time Improved maintenance logistics through improved prognostic data Service life extension through improved prognostic data Long term benefits with real-time SHM Improved performance through monitoring of structural limits Better post-damage performance through avionics feedback Reduction in structural weight through lower design factors of safety 12/04/2017 4

5 MD7 Structural Sonar 15 mm Analog sensor base for impact/damage detection Greatly reduces typically required sensor density 1 PZT actuator & 6 PZT sensors in small package Facilitates both active/passive beamforming 12/04/2017 5

6 MD7 Digital Nodes 5 mm 7 mm 50 mm 40 mm Distributed acquisition & local computation (18 g mass) Reduces mass of cables & centralized hardware, minimize EMI Facilitates both guided wave & acoustic emission detection External analog & digital channels, built-in triaxial accel & temp 12/04/2017 6

7 MD7 Data Analysis Each node processes phase-coherent, location independent sonar-scan Sum scans incoherently to form composite image + Logic imposed to compensate for view area obstacles color represents # of standard deviations above mean of damage-free data 12/04/2017 7

8 MD7 SHM Validation Trending Results Over Time Snapshot Before Loading Snapshot After Loading NDI indicated spar debond locations 12/04/2017 8

9 UTAS Integration Pulse Tablet Ground Station On-Board Systems On oard System PHMS MD7-Pro System 12/04/2017 9

10 s & Risks Acceptance from maintenance community Current damage tolerant approach is safe; why change it? Current NDI methods are very well established; little history with SHM Current performance assessment (PoD) very expensive for SHM Likely need years of side-by-side validation to trust results Transition to programs of record Well received in technical community, but need program office support Need programs to bear cost of hardware & installation for production Need business cases to show life-cycle cost ROI over NRE Need logistics in place to receive data & make available for analysis 12/04/

11 Status Technology Readiness Level (TRL 7+) Conducting flight testing with C-5 & S-92 Completed full-scale ground testing on UH-60 & Triton Full-scale fatigue testing scheduled for Triton & CH-53K in 2018 Flight testing scheduled for CH-53K in late 2018 Completed 4 years testing at sea on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-2) Currently collecting data on ISS, second system launches in 2018 Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL 8+) Technology has been exclusively licensed UTC Aerospace Systems Have produced 500+ units on production pilot line with real vendors Planning small revision prior to full production (custom connector) Relationship established with 2 programs of record (CH-53K & Triton) 12/04/

12 Vision / Final Thoughts Seeking additional programs of record Fixed wing aircraft (manned & unmanned) Rotorcraft (manned & unmanned) Naval vessels Seeking champions specifically in DoD maintenance community Perform independent validation of technology for various DoD branches Can assist in bridging technical to program office acceptance Helpful for DoD maintenance community to participate in relevant SAE committees to help offer requirement & regulation advice Aerospace Industry Steering Committee on Structural Health Monitoring Integration Vehicle Health Management Committee (HM-1) 12/04/

13 Questions 12/04/