SBIR-STTR Award

Web-Based Application for Aircraft Component Fatigue Life Management
Award last edited on: 8/6/2019

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : Navy
Total Award Amount
$1,124,922
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
N182-100
Principal Investigator
Luca Airoldi

Company Information

Technical Data Analysis Inc (AKA: TDA)

3190 Fairview Park Drive Suite 650
Falls Church, VA 22042
   (703) 237-1300
   tdainfo@tda-i.com
   www.tda-i.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 08
County: Fairfax

Phase I

Contract Number: N68335-18-C-0773
Start Date: 9/10/2018    Completed: 12/24/2019
Phase I year
2018
Phase I Amount
$124,976
Navy aircraft data are stored in several database management systems, both in digital format (data recorders and sensors) and paper records. Additionally, with respect to life management and maintenance, and repair and overhaul (MRO) activities. This approach results in multiplicity of data, some contradictory data, and incomplete data. An efficient Web-Based platform is needed with a reasoning engine that interfaces with aircraft and external data systems, provides current diagnostic state of the aircraft and is able to make component life predictions.Over the last 15 years, TDA developed an expertise in fleet tracking and fatigue life monitoring to implement state-of-the-art algorithm for computation of parameters that properly describe the usage and health status of each single component for both fixed and rotor wing aircraft. TDA will leverage this experience and the ACTS (Aircraft Component Tracking System) platform currently deployed for the H-60 to provide a solution in the Big Data framework that will enable US Navy personnel to efficiently, securely and almost in real-time access the tracking information about the status of their rotorcraft fleet. The platform will be designed to be resilient to both data and processing faults, easily scalable and based on modular, user-friendly, highly-customizable applications.

Phase II

Contract Number: N68335-20-C-0244
Start Date: 12/17/2019    Completed: 1/3/2023
Phase II year
2020
Phase II Amount
$999,946
In the Phase II effort, TDA is proposing to develop a comprehensive and unified set of tools and methodologies to make reliable assessment of remaining useful fatigue life of aircraft components. A number of related and interconnected state of the art technologies will be utilized and extended to meet the objectives defined for this effort. Big data frameworks running over a cluster of computers will be used to meet the requirements of processing and analyzing the massive amount of logistic and usage data. The framework will handle lower level tasks such as networking, redundancy, computational load sharing, etc., while machine learning algorithms combined with physics based models will be utilized for life assessment studies. The overall maintenance process will be improved by developing blockchain technology based on distributed ledger concept which will store aircraft records securely and exchange sensitive information privately or publicly among a closed group of partners. Natural language processing tools will be developed to read and process aircraft maintenance records in both structured and unstructured formats. A combined RFID tag and QR/2D barcode technology will be developed to support automation of reading and updating of aircraft components installation records and enhance historical maintenance records.