E. Hindle, General Electric Aviation, Cincinnati, OH

Summary:

The concept of engine health management (EHM) has been an interesting topic for several years, but various limitations have prevented this from moving forward. Significant advances in computing power and sensor technology now make it possible to obtain real time information and to make (EHM) a reality. Obtaining flight-by-flight usage parameter information will provide the foundation for robust diagnostics as well as engine prognostics and allow near real time damage accumulation calculations. Once this information is available, engine prognosis can provide predictive capability for the health of engine components, appropriate inspection intervals and maintenance activities providing a substantial long-range cost avoidance opportunity for the USAF sustainment budget.

Current fleet management capability is constrained by uncertainty in the current state (percent of life expended) of individual aircraft engines. The ability to sense or measure the damage state of an individual part is limited at best. Further, specific part operational severity is not captured with the current lifing process, hence many components are not operating to their life entitlement.

Unlike the fixed interval inspections currently being performed, precise assessment is required for condition-based lifing. The key considerations in the lifing process are 1) the fidelity of the analysis tools and 2) the definition of the boundary conditions (or environmental conditions used by the analysis tools). The DARPA Engine System Prognosis (ESP) program is developing key enabling physical sciences to address the fidelity of part life analysis and a prognosis & asset capability management system.