Landing Gear Strut Operational Readiness Monitoring

ABSTRACT: Landing gear systems are one of the more problematic subsystems on USAF aircraft. The most common landing gear failures are caused by mis-servicing of the gear, resulting in much higher loads (even for a"normal"landing events or cause excessive fatigue damage than originally assumed). This phenomena is present and problematic for multiple aircraft platforms. The ability to measure, record, and alert maintainers and crew of mis-serviced struts would give System Program Offices the ability to make more intelligent management decisions about operational limits, inspection intervals, and removal & depot overhaul cycle values. ES3 proposes to address mis-servicing issues through the use of a stand alone, on-aircraft, miniaturized data acquisition. The strut monitoring system (SMS) will have the ability to process and store captured data, and use programmed logic to detect mis-servicing and alert operators to a problematic landing gear. In this Phase I SBIR effort, ES3 will evaluate several of these systems, energy harvesting devices and applicable sensors for their suitability in a strut monitoring system. During optional activities, prototype hardware will be laboratory tested for various SMS functionality. This Phase I effort will prepare for Phase II activities that will focus on design, qualification and implementation planning efforts. BENEFIT: ES3 anticipates the results of Phase I work will validate the feasibility and need for immediate pursuit of Phase II efforts. ES3 anticipates that current SMS technology is available to design and prototype a system that will meet the objectives of the program. The immediate benefit will be the ability to warn operators of low fluid level. This, in turn, will allow for more intelligent maintenance requirements, or inspection and repair intervals. This will maximize the utilization of the landing gear components, without compromising their safe operation; which will ensure life cycle cost reductions.