Passive Wireless Corrosion-Monitoring Tags

Aircraft, missiles, and vehicle structures are susceptible to corrosion. Engines, transmissions, blades, rocket motors, canisters, and other system components include materials that degrade over time and are not often checked. Recently, the application of condition-based maintenance (CBM) techniques has reduced lifecycle maintenance costs through the identification of maintenance needs after analyzing unit health instead of through following a predetermined schedule. However, the application of effective CBM principles requires knowledge of system health, which often requires the use of sensor systems. Corrosion sensors, in particular, can play a variety of roles in CBM of assets both in operation and storage. Passive wireless sensors are an example of a sensor approach that can have significant advantages in a condition-based maintenance and storage scheme for corrosion issues due to their operational lifetime. However, for monitoring corrosivity in compartments and containers, advances in passive wireless sensing are required. This SBIR effort will demonstrate reduced size and extended range passive tags for monitoring inside sealed and inaccessible areas of aircraft, storage areas, and repair facilities.