Paper
6 June 1997 Smart fastener for KC-135 structural integrity monitoring
Jeffrey N. Schoess, Greg Seifert
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Hidden and inaccessible corrosion in aircraft structures is the number-one logistics problem for the U.S. Air Force, with an estimated maintenance cost in excess of $DOL1.0 billion per year in 1990-equivalent dollars. The Smart Aircraft Fastener Evaluation (SAFE) system is being developed to provide early warning detection of corrosion- related symptoms in hidden locations of aircraft structures. The SAFE incorporates an in situ measurement approach that measures and autonomously records several environmental conditions (i.e., pH, temperature, chloride, free potential, time-of-wetness) within a Hi-Lok aircraft fastener that could cause corrosion to occur. The SAFE system integrates a miniature electrochemical microsensor array and a time-of- wetness sensor with an ultra-low-power 8-bit microcontroller and 5-Mbyte solid-state FLASH archival memory to measure the evidence of active corrosion. A summary of the technical approach, system design definition, software architecture, and future field test plans will be presented.
© (1997) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Jeffrey N. Schoess and Greg Seifert "Smart fastener for KC-135 structural integrity monitoring", Proc. SPIE 3042, Smart Structures and Materials 1997: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, (6 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275746
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Cited by 1 scholarly publication.
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KEYWORDS
Corrosion

Electronics

Aircraft structures

Sensors

Inspection

Skin

Data acquisition

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