Life Assessment System for Increased Reliability and Maintainability of Avionics and Sensors

A major problem in maintaining complex weapon systems is determining when a particular component needs repairing or replacement. Current diagnostic techniques in practice are often simplistic and can lead to premature replacement of components or, more seriously, failure to replace or service malfunctioning components. Avionics components undergo various stresses that ultimately limit their useful life. No single parameter provides sufficient information for proper analysis. DESE Research, Inc. proposes the use of new and innovative embedded microelectric and microelectromechanical sensors combined with the DESE Life Assessment System (LAS) to create a system that accurately predicts remaining life of key components and thereby supports improved system reliability, availability, maintainability (RAM) and mission effectiveness at significantly reduced cost. The proposed LAS will collect and process data involving numerous pertinent parameters and report expected remaining life for components of interest. In this proposed effort, an avionic system will be selected and analyzed, pertinent parameters will be identified, appropriate sensor technology will be chosen, LAS will be adapted to the selected avionics system, and a conceptual model and validation plan will be developed. The ultimate result will be a highly reliable diagnostic system that indicates needed maintenance actions based on specific, multi-parameter data.