Integrated Structural Health Monitoring Technology

Abstract

Similar with civil aircraft, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) based on sensor network on railway systems may bring a great impact on structure design, improve the safety and reliability, reduce maintenance and operation cost. By implementing a built-in sensor network on the railway structure, crucial information regarding the condition, damage state, and service environment of the structure can be obtained. This paper first introduces the general perspectives of commercial aircraft company on SHM as a reference of the railway SHM, and addresses the basic design principles of an SHM system for a large civil aircraft, including the integrated system architecture and the composition of various subsystems. Some key features of an implementable SHM system are then discussed, including sensor survivability, integration of large sensor network with the aircraft structure, damage quantification and environmental compensation, airworthiness compliance. Finally, a demonstration of integrated passive and active SHM based on SMART Layer technology is carried out on a large fuselage panel and a wing structure for real-time impact monitoring and damage detection.