Impedance-based Sensing Optimization & Algorithms for Visualization of Ship Hull Structural Health Monitoring Data Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T042 Topic Title: Impedance-based Sensing Optimization & Algorithms for Visualization of Ship Hull Structural Health Monitoring Data Proposal No.: N10A-042-0344 Firm: Metis Design Corporation 10 Canal Park Suite 601 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141 Contact: Seth Kessler Phone: (617) 661-5616 Web Site: www.MetisDesign.com Abstract: The implementation of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems into naval applications has been hindered due to component quantity, including sensors, power/communication cables, and acquisition/computation units, as well as data quality. Particularly for large-area applications such ship hulls, complexity of implied system infrastructure can be impractical, and data can be worthless with attenuation and EMI pickup on long analog cables. The payoff of reliable real-time SHM would be the ability to detect/characterize in-situ damage for condition-based maintenance, thereby greatly reducing overall life-cycle costs. Metis Design Corporation (MDC) has demonstrated point-of-measurement datalogging and digital sensor-busing during prior Phase II SBIR work, which minimizes SHM infrastructure and EMI susceptibility. During the proposed STTR effort, MDC will further exploit this SHM architecture to satisfy Navy mission requirements. Phase I will have 2 main research thrusts: optimization of an impedance-based damage characterization method, and development of diagnostic visualization tools. UCSD will adapt their piezo-impedance method to be compatible with MDC hardware, optimize size/placement, and develop/calibrate diagnostic algorithms. MDC will facilitate the UCSD detection method with their mature SHM infrastructure, and provide a state-of-the-art graphical interface for visualization of diagnostic results in support of blind validation testing. Phase II would extend this tool to include prognostics. Benefits: Once successfully demonstrated through a Phase II effort, there exists a broad commercial market for this SHM system. One of the key success factors for this technology is its versatility; the ability not only to be integrated into new applications, but to be retrofitted into an existing assets. The first obvious markets outside of Naval vessels would be both commercial and military aerospace applications. Beyond traditional airframes there exists a broad commercial market for SHM. MDC has had prior work with the NRO, who would use this technology for DoD ELV's. UAV's would also be good platforms since they may be stored for long periods of time before being deployed. Military aircraft are in desperate need of this technology to monitor ageing platforms, and airlines that chose to use these systems would be able to reduce the number and time of required inspections, which would also give them the opportunity cost to capture profit due to more up-time. Once SHM technologies have been proven in naval & aerospace applications and have been around long enough to reduce their cost of implementation, systems such as these will likely be utilized in many automotive and civil applications soon thereafter. Return