ROSA

Reliability Oriented Optimisation of Structural Replacement Strategies for Aircraft Structures

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Smart structures, which incorporate structural health monitoring (SHM) systems into mechanical components to enable online damage detection, have a strong potential to reduce inspection and maintenance cost of aircraft structures, while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the level of safety. At present, these technologies are still in the R&D phase and significant efforts are required before smart structures will become the industry norm.

One of the research needs concerns planning of inspection and maintenance for such structures. To be able to fully exploit the capabilities of novel monitoring technologies, it is indispensable that tools are developed to plan maintenance strategies for given safety philosophies (fail-safe, safe-life, damage tolerance) taking into account information obtained from SHM.

The goal of this project proposal is to develop a methodology and corresponding software algorithms for this task. Taking basis in the renewal theory as part of the general Bayesian decision analysis framework, tools for the life cycle optimisation of inspection/maintenance activities will be developed. Based on the commercial Strurel software code for reliability analysis developed and owned by the consortium leader the software tool shall be able to assess the effect of different strategies on safety and cost and thus enable the identification of optimal maintenance strategies subject to constraints on safety. The methodology will be applied to a stiffened panel provided by the ITD.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Embedded sensors in composite aircraft structures will soon provide important data for optimised scheduling of maintenance. EU-funded scientists are developing the software to utilise the data to complete the solution.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Advances in structural health monitoring (SHM) of aircraft structures promise significant time- and cost reductions in inspection and maintenance while enhancing safety.

Simultaneous development of optimised maintenance strategies based on sensed information will ensure that smart SHM structures with embedded sensors can be realised.The goal of the EU-funded project 'Reliability oriented optimisation of structural replacement strategies for aircraft structures' (ROSA) is to provide the methodology and associated software required for the life-cycle optimisation of inspection and maintenance activities.

A stiffened panel served as the test structure.To accurately assess safety and cost factors, ROSA included the monitoring system in the model of damage growth in the stiffened composite material under different impact scenarios.

Sensitivity analysis helped determine the most relevant model parameters.

The quality of the monitoring system was shown to be critical to optimisation of the regular interval between inspections.

In addition, the total expected maintenance element cost was integrally related to the probability of false alarm of a given SHM system.Although the ROSA model was developed for the stiffened panel, it is easily applicable to more complex structures due to the modularity of the methodology.

It can also be extended to include flight conditions in the future.

SHM technologies for monitoring aircraft components incorporating embedded sensors are currently the subject of extensive research and development.

ROSA software for optimising inspection and maintenance scheduling will enable rapid exploitation of the data those technologies promise to provide.

It will even support SHM adoption by providing a holistic approach.

The combination is expected to significantly reduce failures and downtime in addition to operating and maintenance costs for major impact on the competitive position of aircraft manufacturers.