Structural Integrity Monitoring System

Techno-Sciences, Inc. (TSi), in collaboration with the Smart Structures Laboratory of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland (UMD), and Bell Helicopter, proposes to develop an innovative damage detection technology that examines a structure using a suite of distributed,in-situ sensors coupled with an Acousto-Ultrasonic damage detection methodology. Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components are used for data acquisition and wireless data transmission. An energy harvesting device is used to power the electronic components. This integrated package, known as a Structural Integrity Monitoring System (SIMS), continuously gathers and transmits data back to a host computer for damage detection purposes. Data manipulation and reduction leading to pilot alerts can be performed by the SIMS or at a centralized host computer. Flight tests will be conducted at the end of the Phase II program to validate the performance and benefits of the SIMS technology in accordance to the Army's Rotorcraft Structural Integrity Program (RISP)