A Model-assisted Damage Diagnostics and Characterization(MoDDiaC) wireless-sensor network based Structural Health Monitoring System for Composite Roto

Current Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems can be used for composite damage monitoring. However, current systems lack the ability to accurately detect, locate and characterize damage for complex composite structures with local property variation. Acellent Technologies Inc. has therefore proposed to develop reliable and consistent damage diagnostics and characterization techniques for U.S. Navy composite rotorcraft structures operating under harsh aviation environments. These techniques will be integrated into Acellents SHM systems to provide A Model-assisted Damage Diagnostics and Characterization(MoDDiaC) through a wireless-sensor network based Structural Health Monitoring System for Composite Rotorcraft Applications. The proposed system will be designed for optimum performance with minimum number of sensors. The program is supported by Sikorsky Aircraft Company (SAC) for future implementation on the CH-53K aircraft. In Phase I, Acellent successfully completed the tasks leading towards the development of a complete SHM system with composite damage characterization. In Phase II, Acellent will continue to develop and refine the MoDDiaC system to leverage the overall concept developed in Phase I into a complete system-level prototype that is suitable for field use by the U.S. Navy.