Sensors Provide Real-Time Data on Aircraft Component Fatigue Published June 20, 2012 By Holly Jordan Air Vehicles WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- AFRL researchers have completed a series of aircraft component fatigue tests in order to design a system to help operators and maintenance crews monitor the condition of an aircraft in real time. As part of the Rapid Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Designs for Structural Hot Spots program, AFRL scientists completed a series of fatigue tests on a full-scale aircraft component. The purpose of the testing was to detect and monitor cracks that grow in specific areas. By studying the growth of these cracks and the ability of the SHM system to accurately detect them, researchers are hoping to move closer to a fieldable system that will monitor and assess the condition of an operational vehicle in real time as it executes its mission. The series of tests was conducted in conjunction with The Boeing Corporation and took place at the Boeing facilities in Seattle. In each of the tests, aircraft components were subjected to stresses simulating real-world fatigue and loading conditions. A number of components were fitted with an array of sensors to monitor and assess a wide spectrum of conditions. Results indicated that the SHM system was able to accurately detect, locate, and assess the structural damage with no problems. Researchers plan to use this information to refine the SHM system processing techniques and to investigate different ways to analyze data to make system improvements. Just as humans interpret information in different ways, so too do different sensors. AFRL researchers are interested in collecting the different "perspectives" from each of the types of sensors to determine how they can analyze the inputs to form the most complete picture possible. Researchers hope to develop an SHM system that allows crews to accurately assess vehicle health and perform maintenance only when needed rather than at routine intervals, thereby saving money