PR 4200228052 SBIR PHASE II -- CRADLE-TO-GRAVE MONITORING OF COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES. AFTER ACHIEVING…

Public award description

PR 4200228052 SBIR PHASE II -- CRADLE-TO-GRAVE MONITORING OF COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES. AFTER ACHIEVING PROMISING RESULTS IN PHASE I, THE CONTRACTOR IS PROPOSING A SIMPLE YET POWERFUL DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUE FOR HONEYCOMB ADVANCED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES IN PHASE II. THE PROPOSED PHASE II PROGRAM IS FOCUSED TO ACHIEVE AT LEAST TRL OF 5 AND QUICKLY COMMERCIALIZE TECHNOLOGY IN PHASE III. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) IMPROVE RALEIGH-LAMB (RL) WAVE BASED STATISTICAL DETECTION TECHNOLOGY; 2) REDUCE NDE TIME BY FIELD USABLE AUTOMATED DATA COLLECTION; 3) DEVELOP END-TO-END SYSTEM SOFTWARE; 4) DEVELOP DETAILED EARLY COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN. THE PHASE II DEVELOPMENT WILL PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SYSTEM AND PUT STRONG EMPHASIS ON PROCESS AUTOMATION. NEXTGEN IS PURSUING TEAMING ARRANGEMENT WITH BOEING AND NORTHROP GRUMMAN TO TEST THE PROPOSED SYSTEM IN REALISTIC ENVIRONMENT. DURING PHASE I, THE NEXTGEN TEAM ESTABLISHED FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM BY EVALUATING IT ON A HONEYCOMB PLATE, A COMMON CONSTRUCTION USED IN MANY SECONDARY STRUCTURES OF AIRCRAFT. NEXTGEN HAS CHOSEN AN OUTSTANDING TEAM THAT HAS CONSIDERABLE PRIOR EXPERIENCE, AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF DAMAGE MODES IN ADVANCED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES, AND COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF DAMAGE DETECTION TECHNIQUES. OUR TEAM'S COMBINED EXPERTISE IN HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEMS AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SYSTEM INTEGRATORS WILL ENSURE NEAR-TERM TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION. POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OBVIOUSLY, COMMERCIAL AIRLINES FACED WITH REDUCING FLEET'S OPERATING COST WILL BE INTERESTED IN PROPOSED SYSTEM THAT RELIABLY AND COST EFFECTIVELY INSPECTS AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE AT AIRPORTS WITHOUT ALTERING OR DELAYING FLIGHT SCHEDULE. OTHER NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF NEXTGEN'S HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM INCLUDE LONG-TERM MONITORING OF NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE, PRESSURE VESSELS, STORAGE TANKS, AND PIPING, ALSO AUTOMATED INSPECTION OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, NAVY SURFACE SHIPS AND SUBMARINES, AND CRITICAL ENGINEERING STRUCTURES. POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS NASA'S AVIATION SAFETY PROGRAMS (INTEGRATED VEHICLE HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND AIRCRAFT AGING AND DURABILITY PROJECT) HAVE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING AS POTENTIAL OPERATING COST SAVER. THIS PROGRAM WILL DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO NASA'S PUSH FOR IMPROVING AIRCRAFT SAFETY. MANY FUTURE AEROSPACE SYSTEMS WILL HAVE ELEVATED DURABILITY REQUIREMENTS, NECESSITATING EARLY DETECTION OF DAMAGE, PREDICTING REMAINING LIFE AND MITIGATING FAILURE. SOME OF THE NASA SPACE APPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM INCLUDE X-37 DEMONSTRATOR, SPACE SHUTTLE, INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND THE ORBITAL SPACE PLANE PROGRAMS. THIS SYSTEM WOULD PROVIDE A LIGHTWEIGHT, INEXPENSIVE SHM SYSTEM THAT WOULD REDUCE LAUNCH TURN-AROUND TIME, INCREASE PROBABILITY OF LAUNCH SUCCESS, MINIMIZE LIFE CYCLE COSTS, AND INCREASE THE CREW RETURN MISSION SUCCESS.