The proposed system can be applied to NASA equipment health monitoring (control actuators), component degradation trending (valves), and nondestructive evaluation using ultrasonics. The technology can be used in any military, or commercial application, where electromechanical systems involving rotating mechanical components are used. The proposed system may also be extended to many other applications, such as turbine engines, bearings, pumps, gearboxes, motors, etc. The research results of this project will lay down a solid foundation for future commercialization effort with the above applications. According to study RGB-177N on Non-Destructive Testing: An Expanding Market, the U.S. nondestructive testing (NDT) equipment market currently stands at $799 million. This market is projected to grow at an AAGR (average annual growth rate) of 3.6% to reach $952 million by 2004. Equipment health monitoring has many applications such as helicopter gearbox systems, jet and automotive engine diagnostics, and many of the safety critical systems in military and commercial aircraft. The jet and automobile industries are multibillion dollar industries that need this technology.
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