Fatigue crack detection in rotorcraft structures

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems can reliably detect, localize and quantify damage in aircraft components and use the identified damage to make a decision on when to remove the component or for prognosis of the remaining useful component life and system performance. Acellent is an industry leader in SHM technology and provides complete systems for SHM for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft. Previous programs have matured Acellent’s SHM systems for the monitoring of damage such as fatigue cracks in metal structures and delamination and disbonds in composite aircraft structures. The goal of the this Phase II program will be to conduct tasks that can eventually transition of the SHM system for field usage in the H-1 U.S. Navy platform. The goal of this program will be to design and provide a scalable onboard SHM system including the sensors, diagnostic hardware, interface to the onboard ADTS system and appropriate software that can detect fatigue cracks beyond a certain threshold crack size. Data will be collected onboard the aircraft periodically using a built-in timer. A full-scale fatigue test of the tailboom with the complete SHM system will be conducted in conjunction with NAVAIR and Bell Helicopters.