Damage Tracking for Helicopters Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-011 Topic Title: Damage Tracking for Helicopters Proposal No.: N051-011-0018 Firm: International Electronic Machines 60 Fourth Avenue Albany, New York 12202-1924 Contact: Zahid Mian Phone: (518) 449-5504 Web Site: http://www.iem.net Abstract: To permit more accurate gauging of the fatigue life of rotorcraft rotor assembly components, International Electronic Machines (IEM), a leader in rugged sensor design for safety and maintenance, proposes the design of the MEMS-based Integrated Strain Tracking System. Due to the small rotor component sizes and the necessity that the sensors not interfere with rotorcraft operation, some form of MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) technology must be used. IEM will use an innovative ultraminiature RF passive/active tag approach which will remove the need for power sources on-board the sensors (power provided by interrogating transceivers). In Phase I, IEM, assisted by Dr. James Castracane of Albany Nanotech and by the Boeing Corporation's Rotorcraft Division, will: -Provide a basic operational design for MISTS -Evaluate MEMS strain sensing methods for this application -Select or design appropriate strain sensors, calibration sensors, and MEMS RFIT (Radio-frequency Information Transceiver) devices -Design an innovative Component Monitoring Tag (CMT) -Profile selected rotor components for their stress patterns to determine best sensor placement -Design and prototype the Sensor Interrogation Transceiver Units (SITUs) -Design the SAN (Sensor Area Network) and protocols for interrogation and data transfer -Demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of all subsystems in laboratory settings in preparation for Phase II. Benefits: The benefits of the MISTS technology would apply to virtually any complex device whose parts can come under varying strain which cannot currently be tracked and thus are often replaced well before their service lifetime. This applies to essentially EVERY transportation mode: railways, with which IEM is extremely familiar, aircraft (rotor and conventional), cars/trucks, and oceangoing vessels all have equipment (engines, linkages, etc.) which would benefit immensely from accurate fatigue history tracking to minimize maintenance costs. The same is true for many manufacturing/industrial settings, which feature machines of similar maintenance needs. Return