ATC has developed damage detection technology that could one day allow structures to inspect themselves. Damage to the structures of aircraft or other vehicles can be detected automatically by using sensors that ‘listen’ for cracks.
Other forms of sensor can continuously probe the structure using sound waves and pick out changes that occur when the structure is damaged. All this amounts to a form of built-in inspection which automatically checks the structure and can provide a structural diagnosis for maintenance.
ATC has developed a capability using acoustic sensors for locating damage in composite and metal structures.
A large component in the life cycle costs of large complex vehicles such as aircraft arises from the need to perform structural inspections. These are often performed to a schedule such as with civil aircraft. A heavy maintenance check will require the aircraft to be out of service for several days and necessitate the stripping down of large parts of structure. Often, no faults are found but the inspections are a mandatory requirement driven by stringent safety or operational requirements.
Structural health monitoing offers the possibility of automatically detecting damage as it occurs. Permanently installed sensors would constantly monitor the structure and flag the occurence of cracks or damaging impacts. The structure would then only be taken out of service for repair when damage is known to have occurred. This could greatly reduce the need for scheduled inspections and so reduce life cycle costs. The technology is under maturation for aircraft applications and demonstrations of the technology are underway. For less safety critical applications, the technology is ready to be used.
