Self-Contained Wireless Sensor Networks for Aerospace Structures Monitoring

自主结构健康监测系统（SHMS），包括一个网络的传感器与嵌入式微处理器，可以提供经济上可行的寿命周期效益，由于潜在的大大提高空中安全，提高运营能力，减少维修停机时间，并提高在役机体结构系统的部件可靠性。由此产生的系统预计将在今后十年内普及。然而，尚未建立一个硬件/软件框架，使这项技术能够用于健康监测。基于智能传感器的健康监测框架的发展将需要涉及传感器硬件/系统软件，智能材料，板载SHM算法和无线通信的重大范式转变。无线传感器的真正自主性取决于它们在没有人为干预的情况下长时间可靠运行。该建议旨在开发独立的无线传感器，用于在监测航空航天结构的高应力和飞行关键区域时询问损伤。无线传感器可以以非侵入性的方式容易地安装在结构上，特别是在有限可达性的区域中。一个模块化的硬件原型（MHP）在NC州立大学（NCSU）开发的将作为本研究的框架。将特别注意开发一个微型无线智能传感器（WIS）的传感允许持续监测航空航天结构和实时损伤定位。这些具有自诊断和自校准功能的低成本自供电传感器将允许在本地网络中真实的实时检测损坏。这项研究的最终目标是为飞行人员或地面控制中心提供一个多功能和强大的工具来可视化慢性结构区域的损伤。研究计划包括三大任务。即：开发并构建MsM能量收集子系统;开发WIS的自我诊断和自我校准能力;在实验室和现场环境中对WIS进行原型设计和测试，为新型自主无线智能传感器网络技术奠定基础，用于复杂航空航天系统和广泛的物理现象的智能监测。据设想，拟议的工作将显着推进无线传感器技术，数字信号处理，创新的板载SHM算法，能量收集和电源管理领域的科学和工程知识。

An autonomous structural health monitoring system (SHMS), composed of a network of sensors with embedded microprocessors, can offer economically viable life-cycle benefits due to the potential for greatly increasing air safety, improving operational capability, reducing maintenance downtime, and enhancing component reliability of in-service airframe structural systems. The resulting system is expected to become pervasive during the next decade. However, a hardware/software framework that will allow this technology to be employed for health monitoring is yet to be established. The development of health monitoring framework based on smart sensors will require a major paradigm shift involving sensor hardware/system software, smart materials, on-board SHM algorithms, and wireless communication. The true autonomy of wireless sensors depends on their reliable operations for extended times without human intervention. This proposal seeks to develop self-contained wireless sensors for interrogating the damage in monitoring high-stress and flight-critical areas of aerospace structures. The wireless sensors can be readily mounted on the structure in a noninvasive manner, in particular in the areas of limited accessibility. A modular hardware prototype (MHP) developed at NC State University (NCSU) will be employed as a framework of this research. Special attention will be given to developing a miniature Wireless Intelligent Sensor (WIS) for sensing allowing continual monitoring of aerospace structures and real-time damage localization. These low-cost self-powered sensors with self-diagnosis and self-calibration capabilities will allow damage detection at the local network in real time. The ultimate goal of this investigation is to provide flight crews or ground control center with a versatile and powerful tool to visualize the damage in chronic structural areas.The proposed work builds on a highly successful project by the PI. The research plan consists of three major tasks. Namely:. Develop, and build an MsM energy harvesting subsystem;. Develop self-diagnosis and self-calibration capabilities in WIS;. Prototype and test the WIS in both laboratory and field environments.The proposed research will lay the groundwork for a novel autonomous wireless smart sensor network technology for intelligent monitoring of complex aerospace systems and a broad set of physical phenomena. It is envisioned that the proposed work will significantly advance scientific and engineering knowledge in the areas of wireless sensor technology, digital signal processing, innovative on-board SHM algorithms, energy harvesting, and power management.