engineering design day 2012 - College of Engineering @ The ...

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RuGGEDIZED hELICopTER RoToR hEALTh INSTRumENTATIoN
Interdisciplinary Engineering Design Program
CLASS
ENGR 498A/B
SpoNSoR
Airtronics, Inc.
SpoNSoR mENToR/ADVISoR
Frank Oliver
pRoJECT mENToR
Doug May
TEAm mEmBERS
Alan Olsen (ME)
Daniel Carman (ME)
Danielle Theodore (SE)
Vladimir Medina (ME)
ME = Mechanical Engineering
SE = Systems Engineering
TEAm 4937: pRoJECT SummARY
This project focused on the
development of a rugged wireless
sensor system suitable for installation
on a helicopter rotor system. The
wireless sensor must be able to
transmit into the body of the helicopter
for data collection and analysis. The
system uses accelerometers and strain
gauges to measure the forces in rotor
system components. The system uses
microprocessors to monitor the sensors,
tag the data and control the transmitter.
The system must be bondable to the rotor system with sufficient strength to not
disengage from the rotor during flight.
The rotor system of a helicopter is a perfect application for a health monitoring system.
Helicopter rotor systems have mechanical components that operate in an environment
of extreme forces. Blade lag shock absorbers, which this project instruments, respond
to forces in excess of 10 tons at a frequency of 5 Hz. Instrumentation for stress,
strain and accelerations in this single component can provide critical lifecycle and
reliability information for helicopter operators. Systems health monitoring provides real
time monitoring and alerts operators and maintenance crew of impending failure.