Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
University of Victoria
$102,846.00
Structural health monitoring of composite structures
FY 2009-10
Summary
Structural Health Monitoring/Management (SHM) through adequate prediction of the remaining useful life of structures is a major area of interest for the aerospace community, especially considering aging aircraft where the growing maintenance costs can reduce their economic life. Also, composite structures due to their high strength-to-weight ratios, high stiffness, inherent corrosion resistance, and improved fatigue performance offer many advantages over the conventional metallic materials, and therefore are utilized in a variety of load bearing structures such as helicopter rotor blades, aircraft fuselage, rib chord, trailing edges, and cargo doors. This makes the understanding and then improving durability of composite structures very critical. Recent aircraft structural failures caused by undetected faults have resulted in a change in philosophy in design and maintenance of aircraft from fatigue safe-life to damage tolerance. The objective of this research is to develop a structural health monitoring and life prognosis approach to gradually replace current schedule-based
maintenance tasks of metallic/composite damage tolerant structures, where components are inspected after a pre-established number of cycles, by condition-based maintenance, where components are maintained prior to attaining an insufficient remaining useful life, based on the criticality and specified confidence bounds. The scientific and technological challenges are to obtain a reliable assessment of past and current status of the structure, in terms of loading spectra, damage location and severity, by implementing and embedding sensors with adequate spatial resolution, and to obtain a reliable and safe model to predict future damage evolution.
The proposed solution is to use a variety of sensors for load monitoring and large area detection, localization and assessment of the severity of defects; and life prognosis of composite structures. To accomplish these objectives, the research program will focus on the manufacturing of two and three dimensional composite structures with bonded/embedded sensors, monitor the manufacturing process for quality control, and structural health management of fiber reinforced composite materials.
Program
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Recipient
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
390418-2010
Name nom
Suleman, Afzal
Department département
Mechanical Engineering
Organization id
7
Institution établissement
University of Victoria
Province en
British Columbia
Province fr
Colombie-Britannique
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2009
Competition year année de concours
2010
Award amount
102846
Program id
EQPEQ
Program nane en
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Program name fr
Outils et instruments de recherche - catégorie 1 (<150 000$)
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
1512
Committee name en
Mechanical Engineering
Committee name fr
Génie mécanique
Area of application code
500
Area of application group en
Manufacturing processes and products
Area of application group fr
Procédés et produits industriels
Area of application en
Manufacturing processes and products
Area of application fr
Procédés et produits industriels
Research subject code
2100
Research subject group en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie mécanique
Research subject en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject fr
Génie mécanique
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
Structural health monitoring of composite structures
Keyword
NA
Application summary
Structural Health Monitoring/Management (SHM) through adequate prediction of the remaining useful life of structures is a major area of interest for the aerospace community, especially considering aging aircraft where the growing maintenance costs can reduce their economic life. Also, composite structures due to their high strength-to-weight ratios, high stiffness, inherent corrosion resistance, and improved fatigue performance offer many advantages over the conventional metallic materials, and therefore are utilized in a variety of load bearing structures such as helicopter rotor blades, aircraft fuselage, rib chord, trailing edges, and cargo doors. This makes the understanding and then improving durability of composite structures very critical. Recent aircraft structural failures caused by undetected faults have resulted in a change in philosophy in design and maintenance of aircraft from fatigue safe-life to damage tolerance. The objective of this research is to develop a structural health monitoring and life prognosis approach to gradually replace current schedule-based
maintenance tasks of metallic/composite damage tolerant structures, where components are inspected after a pre-established number of cycles, by condition-based maintenance, where components are maintained prior to attaining an insufficient remaining useful life, based on the criticality and specified confidence bounds. The scientific and technological challenges are to obtain a reliable assessment of past and current status of the structure, in terms of loading spectra, damage location and severity, by implementing and embedding sensors with adequate spatial resolution, and to obtain a reliable and safe model to predict future damage evolution.
The proposed solution is to use a variety of sensors for load monitoring and large area detection, localization and assessment of the severity of defects; and life prognosis of composite structures. To accomplish these objectives, the research program will focus on the manufacturing of two and three dimensional composite structures with bonded/embedded sensors, monitor the manufacturing process for quality control, and structural health management of fiber reinforced composite materials.
