Description:
Reference #: 01163
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for a Round the Clock Structural Health Monitoring System for Aircraft Moveables
Background:
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an important technology that helps improve the reliability and safety of aeronautical and civil structures, while at the same time supporting their effective maintenance. A lot of the available SHM systems are either passive or active by design. The subject invention attempts to harness the dual advantages that a hybrid option would provide while simultaneously reducing the overall equipment weight, which is a net advantage for aircraft applications.
Invention Description:
The subject invention is a hybrid active/passive structural health monitoring system combined with an in-field usable NDE system. The total system enables round-the-clock coverage of damage event registration and enables scheduled-maintenance-free operation of multi-rib composite box structures such as aircraft movables. The placement of sensors allows easy access and therefore enables maintenance and repair.
Potential Applications:
The technology can be used for all aircraft movables. This means that companies in multiple tiers of the aircraft structure supply chain could be interested in the system.
Advantages and Benefits:
The system will reduce the maintenance cost of aircraft multi-rib composite box structures by eliminating scheduled maintenance.