Conekt is helping helicopters stay in the air longer. Helicopter operators usually schedule maintenance after a defined number of hours flying, but with varied usage some components might be over-serviced, while others may require early attention.
This is because a helicopter used for search and rescue may be far more taxing on its components than one used for a television crew. Components may work harder in a climb than they do when cruising. A new collaborative project, Wireless Intelligent Sensing Devices (WISD), will enable major maintenance cost savings for helicopter operators by reducing the need for invasive inspection processes and unplanned maintenance.
Strain and vibration sensing modules are being mounted on key components such as rotor blades to accurately quantify used life and predict life remaining. The devices only transmit information when structural health changes and requires attention or maintenance.
This provides an efficient alternative to the current approach of streaming raw data back to a central monitoring unit. The sensors are powered by energy harvesting and contain local signal processing to run sophisticated new life prediction algorithms.
Roger Hazelden from Conekt says helicopter operators will benefit from improved component monitoring using the new technology. "This new generation of intelligent wireless sensors could extend the lifetime of parts and reduce unnecessary maintenance," Hazelden says.
The Wireless Intelligent Sensing Devices (WISD) project is a 3-year collaborative project part-funded by the DTI Technology Programme. Westland Helicopters Ltd is the leading partner, working with Systems Engineering and Assessment Ltd (SEA), Bristol University and Conekt.
As part of a phased demonstration programme, initial tests have been successfully completed. As the system is developed, demonstrations of increasing complexity are planned for fixed and rotating components.
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