Fatigue crack detection using built-in Sensor Cluster Network

The performance and behavior characteristics of nearly all in-service structures can be affected by degradation resulting from sustained use as well as from exposure to severe environmental conditions. Condition awareness of structures in (near) real-time is therefore an important factor that can limit or extend their service life. Acellent Technologies proposes to develop an innovative one-of-a-kind system that will combine Acellent's current single-element SMART Layer actuator/sensor network together with multi-element phased arrays to produce a Sensor Cluster Network that has been geometrically optimized to (a) Quantitatively assess structural damage such as cracks due to fatigue, (b) Identify damage in inaccessible areas of rotorcraft structures, (c) Characterize damage growth, and (d) Provide an image of the damage size and orientation. The basis for the development will be Acellent's SMART Layer technology that utilizes a network of distributed transducers that are integrated with the structure itself and serve as sources for acousto-ultrasonic structural data. The technology in its current form can be used to identify damage location and extent and the utilization of geometrically optimized sensor/actuator clusters can further enhance the use of the methodology and improve the resolution of damage detection such that small linear fatigue cracks can be easily detected.