Mechanical and propulsion systems prognostics: U.S. Navy strategy and demonstration

Under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Prognosis Seedling Effort, a U.S. Navy strategy has been generated to develop, integrate, and demonstrate diagnostics, prognostics, health monitoring, and life management for propulsion and mechanical systems. This article presents the evolution of this overall strategy and its current status. The SH-60 program was initiated as the first proof-of-concept effort to develop, demonstrate, and integrate available and advanced mechanical diagnostic technologies for propulsion and power-drive system monitoring. Included in these technologies were various rule- and model-based analysis techniques to demonstrate and validate diagnostic and trending capabilities. Recently, there has been increased emphasis on prognostic capabilities, which provide early detection of the precursor and/or incipient fault condition to a component or sub-element failure condition, and can manage and predict the progression of this fault condition to component failure. This approach increases safety and significantly reduces supportability costs over the aircraft life cycle. Editor’s Note: Presentation of this paper is supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory, under agreement number F33615-01-D-5801. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the Air Force Research Laboratory or the U.S. Government. For more information, contact William Hardman, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Propulsion & Power Department, Building 106, Unit 4, 22195 Elmer Road, Patuxent River, MD 20670-1534; (301) 757-0508; e-mail william.hardman@navy.mil.