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Structural Monitoring Systems’ Technology to Revolutionize Structural Crack Detection on Commercial Aircraft
26 April 2022, 23:56 GMT+10
Structural Monitoring Systems’ Technology to Revolutionize Structural Crack
Detection on Commercial Aircraft
First-Ever FAA-Approved Comparative Vacuum Monitor Sensors to Deliver
Game-Changing Inspection Capabilities and Major Operating Cost Savings to
Airline Industry
Business Wire
DALLAS -- April 26, 2022
Structural Monitoring Systems Plc (“SMS”; ASX: SMN), a U.K. registered company
engaged in the development and commercialization of technology for testing and
monitoring the structural integrity of materials, announced at the MRO
Americas conference that its Comparative Vacuum Monitor (“CVM™”) sensor
technology for detecting cracks on commercial aircraft received a Supplemental
Type Certificate (“STC”) approval from The Federal Aviation Administration
(“FAA”).
“The solution to monitor structures on aircraft is known as Structural Health
Monitoring – in this category, our CVM™ technology is the forerunner. The
aviation industry provides a great array of applications and programs for the
full commercialization of the CVM™ technology platform,” says Rich Poutier,
Executive Vice President of Business Development for SMS.
Working together with the FAA and partners Delta Air Lines (“Delta”) and Delta
Engineering firm (not affiliated with Delta), SMS has undertaken multiple
programs to certificate the use of CVM™ sensors for accurate, reliable,
in-situ monitoring of the structural integrity of aircraft. SMS’ sensors have
already been installed on more than twenty aircraft operated by Delta.
“This first-ever certification from FAA for using CVM™ sensors to detect
cracks on aircraft will revolutionize the industry maintenance inspection
methods and provide airlines the ability to fly longer periods of time before
aircraft must be routed to the hangar,” explains Poutier.
The initial certification is limited to performing inspections on the Intelsat
2ku antenna support structure on Boeing 737-800 aircraft; however, SMS expects
to easily adapt the sensor configuration to many other inspection areas. In
addition to the approved Wi-Fi antenna structure inspections, SMS and Delta
are actively pursuing OEMs to incorporate the CVM™ sensor technology into
service bulletins as an accepted method of compliance for structural
inspections.
CVM™ sensors can be used to replace inspections currently being performed with
High-Frequency and Low-Frequency Eddy Current (“HFEC/LFEC”) equipment to
detect surface cracks. Performing an inspection with CVM™ sensors can be
conducted at the gate with a short turnaround time as opposed to, in most
cases, taking aircraft to the hangar to conduct traditional HFEC/LFEC
inspections.
In addition to the time and money saved by not having to perform inspections
in a hangar, the CVM™ sensor technology can enhance maintenance planning
departments sequencing inspection tasks. For example, repetitive inspections
due at 3,500 and 4,500 cycles are typically scheduled to be performed together
for operational convenience to reset the interval clock. Oftentimes, this
results in airlines discarding more than 1,000 cycles of available greentime
operations.
According to the Oliver Wyman/Cavok data, published in a recent article by
Aviation Week Magazines Inside MRO, entitled: "Structural Health Sensors Come
of Age,” for a North American legacy narrowbody operator flying four cycles
per day, the 1,000 cycles would equate to about 250 days of extra flying. For
a low-cost or ultra-low-cost carrier that flies 4.5 cycles per day, it would
equate to about 220 extra days. For widebody aircraft being flown 1.75 cycles
per day, that number jumps to about 550 days.
“As we make this novel sensor technology available to the airline industry,
looking ahead, we are aiming for CVM™ sensors to become the routinely accepted
method for performing periodic, continual maintenance on all aircraft types
worldwide,” concludes Poutier.
For read an overview of SMS’ CVM™ sensor technology, visit
https://www.smsystems.com.au/technology-overview/.
(20min delay)
