Cradle-to-Grave Monitoring of Composite Aircraft Structures

NextGen Aeronautics, after achieving promising results in Phase I, is proposing a simple yet powerful damage identification technique for honeycomb advanced composite structures in Phase II. The proposed Phase II program is focused to achieve at least TRL of 5 and quickly commercialize technology in Phase III. The specific objectives are: 1) Improve Raleigh –Lamb (RL) wave based statistical detection technology; 2) Reduce NDE time by field usable automated data collection; 3) Develop end-to-end system software; 4) Develop detailed early commercialization plan. The Phase II development will provide a significant improvement in functionality of the system and put strong emphasis on process automation. NextGen is pursuing teaming arrangement with Boeing and Northrop Grumman to test the proposed system in realistic environment. During Phase I, the NextGen team established feasibility of the proposed system by evaluating it on a honeycomb plate, a common construction used in many secondary structures of aircraft. NextGen has chosen an outstanding team that has considerable prior experience, an in-depth understanding of damage modes in advanced composite structures, and comprehensive knowledge of damage detection techniques. Our team's combined expertise in health monitoring systems and our relationship with system integrators will ensure near-term technology transition.