Wireless Hydraulic Actuator Monitor (WHAM) Phase II

Periodic maintenance of hydraulic actuators and related systems on submarines has been shown to be inefficient and costly, often leading to removal and maintenance of perfectly functional actuators, and does not allow for the early detection of problems. In Phase I of the Wireless Hydraulic Actuator Monitor (WHAM) project, IEM demonstrated that a miniature, low-power wireless sensor system could monitor the operation of such actuators and detect multiple possible issues in real-time.In Phase II, IEMassisted by Moog, Inc and Electric Boatwill first develop a custom version of WHAM with more realistic, integrated algorithms on a more rigorous and broadly applicable in-house testbed. Tests and demonstrations on this testbed will address all relevant aspects of interfacing securely with existing or projected wireless infrastructures on the target platform as well as showing the overall functionality of WHAM. In the second year, IEM will refine the design in both hardware and software to address any issues which may have emerged, and then arrange and perform tests and demonstrations on an external testbed. The projected Option Phase will create an integrated smart actuator combining WHAM and Moogs technologies, and demonstrate this in a more operational setting in preparation for certification and deployment.