Big Data Analytics for Aircraft Structure Usage Tracking

ABSTRACT: This SBIR project will develop and implement practical software tools for converting real-time data collected by on-board flight data recorders into structural fatigue accumulation estimates suitable for monitoring fatigue of the aircraft big bone structural components. This information will help Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) managers with to transition to individual life predictions and inspection intervals. The tools will be applicable to large-scale aircraft fleet data and allow ASIP managers to re-evaluate life and inspection intervals for an individual aircraft in the fleet from mission to mission. The flight recorder data will be accumulated and processed in ground based computer system. The data will be converted into the fatigue accumulation estimates for the hot spots. These estimates will be combined with the inspection history and other relevant individual unit information within the residual-life estimation module to develop specific and actionable maintenance guidance. The proposed approach will rely on flight recorder data that is already collected for many military aircraft fleets and will provide robust and viable alternative to programs that rely on special-purpose sensors and place additional demand on supporting infrastructure. BENEFIT: The project will develop analytical software for mapping flight recorder data for individual aircraft into residual life predictions using reduced models of aircraft main flexible modes and actual flight recorder data. The software will be implemented as scalable Big Data analytics solution that can process data and track structural usage for entire aircraft fleet. We will establish detailed structural, aeroservoelasticity, and damage accumulation models that will be implemented on-line in usage tracking algorithms. An important benefit of the solution will be its ability to work with the flight data that is already collected for many legacy DoD aircraft fleets. The potential commercial applications are in usage monitoring of commercial airline fleets.