Non-NASA commercial applications include Homeland Security structural analysis to mitigate threats (preparedness) and assess damage (response), smart structures, and SHM of civil infrastructures, land/marine structures, medical devices, and military structures. Civil infrastructure includes bridges, highway systems, buildings, power plants, underground structures, and windmills. Land/marine structures include automobiles, trains, submarines, ships, and offshore structures. Medical devices include implants and health monitoring devices. Military structures include helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and others. SHM is an emerging industry driven by an aging infrastructure, malicious humans, and the introduction of advanced materials and structures. SHM applications are also driven by a desire to lower costs by moving from schedule-based to condition-based maintenance. Government customers include NASA and the Departments of Defense, Transportation, and Energy. Non-government customers include energy companies, and other crucial-structure custodians. The Boeing Company is one of our civilian commercialization partners; we are also working with the United Space Alliance, Lockheed-Martin and Ball Aerospace.
AED directly supports NDE systems for safety assurance of future exploration vehiclesspecifically those making heavy use of composite materials. By provided increased reliability, AED also supports low-cost and reliable access to space (LCRATS). AED provides enabling technology for this effort. AED supports the NASA Engineering and Safety Center by providing tools for independent testing, analysis, and assessment of high-risk projects. AED applications include on-wing SHM of various aircraft components and is applicable to the next generation of turbine engines. These advanced propulsion systems will use revolutionary materials and structures. Structures based on such materials must withstand severe stresses and hostile aero-thermo-chemical environments, while weighing less and operating at higher temperatures than current engines. AED sensors are embeddable and are well suited to the highly curved surfaces found in pressure vessels and hard-to-access composite members of all sorts. AED detects incipient damage in near real-time and automatically provides early warning of structural damage. These capabilities are well suited to support of exploration missions where routine action may be taken to rectify damage situations before failure occurs.
More »