Mission Function Automation System - AVLB

Advanced composite materials are finding new applications in critical components of military and commercial equipment to exploit their synergistic properties. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor in real-time the integrity of critical composite components during the manufacturing processes. Accomplishing this task (producing high quality/reliable components) will reduce/eliminate the in-service catastrophic failures of the components. Additionally, manufacturing expendatures will be reduced due to a reduction in scrapped components and waste time and energy. Foster-Miller proposes a novel system consisting of advanced NDE sensors and related software to develop an "expert" manufacturing process. The concept employs magnetostrictive particles (sensors) embedded in a composite to detect the changes in magnetic signatures associated with the stress fields due to voids, cracks, holes, delaminations and thickness variations. Magnetic detectors can be used to monitor the magnetic signatures. In addition to the NDE sensors Foster-Miller will develop algorithms to collect, record, store and interpret the sensor signals. An "expert" system will be developed to make "expert" changes to the manufacturing process to increase product quality and reliability based on the sensor data. In summary, the Army will have developed an advanced technique to improve the quality and reliability of critical equipment such as composite gun barrels now under investigation; composite armor and outer skins on tanks and personnel carriers; and composite rotor blades on helicopters. Additionally, the Army will realize a savings on equipment acquisition due to reduced manufacturing costs.