The Need for Multi-Sensor Data Fusion in Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Aircraft Structures

Smart Wireless Transducer Dedicated for Use in Aviation Laboratories

Reliable testing of aviation components depends on the quality and configuration flexibility of measurement systems. In a typical approach to test instrumentation, there are tens or hundreds of sensors on the test head and test facility, which are connected by wires to measurement cards in control cabinets. The preparation of wiring and the setup of measurement systems are laborious tasks requiring diligence. The use of smart wireless transducers allows for a new approach to test preparation by reducing the number of wires. Moreover, additional functionalities like data processing, alarm-level monitoring, compensation, or self-diagnosis could improve the functionality and accuracy of measurement systems. A combination of low power consumption, wireless communication, and wireless power transfer could speed up the test-rig instrumentation process and bring new test possibilities, e.g., long-term testing of moving or rotating components. This paper presents the design of a wireless smart transducer dedicated for use with sensors typical of aviation laboratories such as thermocouples, RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detectors), strain gauges, and voltage output integrated sensors. The following sections present various design requirements, proposed technical solutions, a study of battery and wireless power supply possibilities, assembly, and test results. All presented tests were carried out in the Components Test Laboratory located at the Łukasiewicz Research Network-Institute of Aviation.

Multifunctional Integration of Optical Fibers and Nanomaterials for Aircraft Systems

Smart sensing for aeronautical applications is a multidisciplinary process that involves the development of various sensor elements and advancements in the nanomaterials field. The expansion of research has fueled the development of commercial and military aircrafts in the aeronautical field. Optical technology is one of the supporting pillars for this, as well as the fact that the unique high-tech qualities of aircrafts align with sustainability criteria. In this study, a multidisciplinary investigation of airplane monitoring systems employing optical technologies based on optical fiber and nanomaterials that are incorporated into essential systems is presented. This manuscript reports the multifunctional integration of optical fibers and nanomaterials for aircraft sector discussing topics, such as airframe monitoring, flight environment sensing (from temperature and humidity to pressure sensing), sensors for navigation (such as gyroscopes and displacement or position sensors), pilot vital health monitoring, and novel nanomaterials for aerospace applications. The primary objective of this review is to provide researchers with direction and motivation to design and fabricate the future of the aeronautical industry, based on the actual state of the art of such vital technology, thereby aiding their future research.

A Systematic Literature Review of Predictive Maintenance for Defence Fixed-Wing Aircraft Sustainment and Operations

In recent decades, the increased use of sensor technologies, as well as the increase in digitalisation of aircraft sustainment and operations, have enabled capabilities to detect, diagnose, and predict the health of aircraft structures, systems, and components. Predictive maintenance and closely related concepts, such as prognostics and health management (PHM) have attracted increasing attention from a research perspective, encompassing a growing range of original research papers as well as review papers. When considering the latter, several limitations remain, including a lack of research methodology definition, and a lack of review papers on predictive maintenance which focus on military applications within a defence context. This review paper aims to address these gaps by providing a systematic two-stage review of predictive maintenance focused on a defence domain context, with particular focus on the operations and sustainment of fixed-wing defence aircraft. While defence aircraft share similarities with civil aviation platforms, defence aircraft exhibit significant variation in operations and environment and have different performance objectives and constraints. The review utilises a systematic methodology incorporating bibliometric analysis of the considered domain, as well as text processing and clustering of a set of aligned review papers to position the core topics for subsequent discussion. This discussion highlights state-of-the-art applications and associated success factors in predictive maintenance and decision support, followed by an identification of practical and research challenges. The scope is primarily confined to fixed-wing defence aircraft, including legacy and emerging aircraft platforms. It highlights that challenges in predictive maintenance and PHM for researchers and practitioners alike do not necessarily revolve solely on what can be monitored, but also covers how robust decisions can be made with the quality of data available.