Advanced Automated Wireless Structural Health Assessment Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-054 Topic Title: Advanced Automated Wireless Structural Health Assessment Proposal No.: N051-054-0550 Firm: Luna Innovations Incorporated 2851 Commerce Street Blacksburg, Virginia 24060-6657 Contact: Fritz Friedersorf Phone: (540) 552-5128 Web Site: www.lunainnovations.com Abstract: For this Phase I Navy SBIR project, Luna Innovations, Inc. proposes to develop and demonstrate the laboratory prototype of a sparse network of large area ultrasonic wireless sensors permanently mounted on or embedded into an advanced materials structure. These sensors can be used for monitoring a number of health-critical parameters such as location, extent, and severity of defects including fiber breaks, cracks, delaminations and impact damage in composites, change of material parameters due to fatigue, corrosion or aging, as well the time and location of damage onset. Additionally, the system can assess the overall component performance - an important integral property that does not necessarily correlate with the detection of defects. Luna Innovations possesses broad expertise in the field of ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation technology and wireless sensors. Based on proprietary ultrasonic technology and on successful Luna Innovations research programs, the instrument concept builds on decades of award-winning research by the PI while at NASA that now can be brought to commercial uses with the Luna philosophy of invent, build and commercialize which has led to six new spin-off companies in the past 4 years. Benefits: The success of this SBIR will drive exciting new applications for both NDE and wireless systems into commercial markets that include health monitoring of aircraft, storage tanks, pressure vessels and the transportation infrastructure. The advanced composite manufacturing industry will be able to produce materials that autonomously monitor their own condition and report any structural integrity threat calling for attention around the clock and at any geographical location. For already existing structures, the low-profile sensors can be attached to the surface and linked into small networks monitoring the health of a given structure. Return