Ultra Electronics has launched an aircraft structural integrity system, ASIS, at Farnborough Air Show to enable early detection of cracks within the metal structures of all types of military, fighter, tanker or rotary wing aircraft.
The ASIS system will help air forces worldwide to keep their fleets operational beyond their expected service life.
The system will enable ground staff to conduct non-intrusive detection of cracks when the aircraft is on the ground that might otherwise not be routinely detected.
ASIS, a passive acoustic detection system, can identify cracks that are extremely small, below the surface or in inaccessible areas.
The system is equipped with sensors to detect the acoustic emissions created by developing cracks, analyse the noise of the crack and compare it with the system’s permanent memory.
Equipped with built-in solid-state gyroscope, accelerometers, GPS and aircraft air data inputs, ASIS can show the correlation of any crack emissions with the aircraft’s usage.
It is modular and expandable for easy installation in small fighter aircraft or helicopters and large transport aircraft.
The PC is plugged into the data storage unit (DSU) and the acoustic emission data is downloaded, analysed and the location of the crack is displayed on an image of the aircraft structure.
