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Clemson Professor Develops Damage Sensing Skin for Aircraft and More
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Source: Design News
A three-ply "skin" that can sense damage and report it to operators in real time before the damage causes a problem has been developed. Conversely, it can also report when it’s still in operational condition and doesn’t need to be replaced. The human body is a remarkable machine. When it’s damaged, it sends pain signals ("ouch!") to the brain as a kind of damage report. In response, we engage in "maintenance" by attending to the injury before it worsens. Imagine being able to transfer that kind of sentience to machines to boost the power of preventive maintenance.

Preventive maintenance is an important step for ensuring continued productivity and safety of most machines. Nowhere is this idea more important than in aerospace, where components such as helicopter rotors are routinely replaced before they show sign of wear and tear. It’s a way to prevent expensive and life-threatening breakdowns, but it wastes a lot of money. Often, the components being replaced are perfectly operational and have life left in them, but their unique composition and the job they’re expected to do make it impossible to tell whether the part is still good. Most helicopter operators would be unwilling to take the risk and simply swap out the part.

Aircraft components and the composites they’re built from need to be as light as possible (while still able to carry out their role). These components often carry high loads, and their lightweight nature mean that even small flaws can lead to failure. Testing for flaws is essential, but needs to be carried out in a non-destructive way, which limits the testing options. As a result, the military actively seeks new ways to carry out non-destructive testing (NDT). One of the most promising new methods uses smart materials.

Clemson University associate professor Oliver J. Myers and graduate assistant Brandon Williams have developed one in a three-ply "skin" that can sense damage and report it to operators in real time before the damage causes a problem. (Conversely, it can also report when it’s still in operational condition and doesn’t need to be replaced.) The research could lead to composites that not only "feel pain" but can show operators where it "hurts" in the same way a human’s nerves tell the brain where damage to the body has occurred. Used in composite materials on aircraft, the potential for the material is extraordinary.

The U.S. Army Research Lab in Maryland is interested in the skin. Indeed, it has provided Myers and Williams with a nearly $1 million grant to apply the material to military aircraft components. The research could help the Army save money on rotorcraft maintenance, said Asha Hall, the lead co-principal investigator and Prognostics and Diagnostics acting team lead in the Mechanics Division of the Vehicle Technology Directorate at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. "We’re trying to extend that maintenance-free operating period," she said. "The big, big impact is to reduce sustainment costs for the Army."

Read the full article at Design News.

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