Buffet Load Accurate Measurement System (BLAMS)

Current-art systems cannot meet the requirements for Predictive Health Maintenance tracking of buffet stress/strain caused by disrupted overwing vortices on aircraft control surfaces: high sample rates, effectively zero data loss, and zero-to-minimal weight, wiring, or maintenance requirements. International Electronic Machines Corporation (IEM), a leader in smart sensor technology solutions for transportation safety, will create the Buffet Load Accurate Measurement System (BLAMS) with the support and endorsement of F-35 prime contractor Lockheed-Martin and assistance from Albany Nanotechnology. BLAMS will offer a wireless, non-interfering, high-data-rate, high-sample-rate system for tracking buffet loads across multiple points on an aircraft’s structure while having extremely low SWAP demands and low cost. BLAMS will be composed of simple, self-contained rugged sensor nodes which may be inserted nearly anywhere, affixed with any reasonable method, and store all flight data onboard until interrogated remotely by a system which can process the data locally or interface with other third-party systems (thus preventing any interference with other systems). Requiring virtually no maintenance, incorporating UID capability, adding virtually no weight, and lasting for the lifetime of the target components, BLAMS will make accurate, reliable PHM possible for JSF/F-35 and other aircraft applications, improving safety while significantly reducing maintenance costs.