Prognostic Wear Prediction Tool for BlackHawk Hanger Bearings

Hanger bearing failures occur unexpectedly and have resulted in loss of aircraft and life in both military and civilian rotorcraft. New Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) that are currently being demonstrated on the UH-60 include sensing capabilities that offer the potential to diagnose and predict hanger bearing problems with sufficient lead time to prevent catastrophic failure. However, diagnostic algorithms and fault progression models that address the specific failure modes observed in hanger bearings, such as lubricant depletion and thermal runaway, are still needed to provide an effective prognostic capability. Sentient Corporation will leverage directly related prior work to develop an accurate and effective prognostic capability for the UH-60 hanger bearing application and will integrate that capability into the Goodrich open architecture HUMS. State-of-the-art sensing and diagnostic capabilities will be combined with Sentient's proven model of bearing wear/fatigue and new models that address lubrication and thermal effects unique to this application. In-house bearing tests will provide ample development and validation data. Sentient's extensive prior research in this area will reduce technical risk and enable greater progress than would otherwise be possible during Phase I, and collaboration with Goodrich Aerospace will ensure a successful HUMS integration in Phases II and III.