Diagnostics for Integrated Drive Generators using Vibration Monitoring |2021-2022 Scholarships Grants

Scholarship Details:

Applications are invited for an MSc by Research studentship in the Integrated Vehicle Health Management Centre (IVHM Centre), Cranfield University, in the fields of health monitoring and additive manufacturing. IVHM uses on-board sensors to obtain data on the condition of components which is then analysed to detect faults and even predict when failures will occur. This information is then used to improve the management of maintenance operations. Additive manufacturing is comprised of a new set of technologies that enable 3D printing of metallic parts, allowing for more complex shapes to be manufactured and reducing the amount of material wasted.

Combining health monitoring technologies and additive manufacturing has the potential to result in major a reduction of maintenance times and cost. The capability of IVHM to detect and predict the fault of components can be combined with on-site additive manufacturing devices to cut maintenance delays. This is critical for aerospace companies that seek to maximise the use of their fleets.

The research project will focus on developing a diagnostic tool for Integrated Drive Generators (IDG). IDGs transform mechanical power from each aircraft engine into electrical power for auxiliary systems. IDGs are comprised of numerous rotating elements that degrade and fail, causing major disruptions in flight operations. The IVHM centre is conducting research to replace some of these components with spare parts produced using additive manufacturing. This has the potential to affect different failure modes of IDGs. The aim of this project is to use data-mining and artificial intelligence methods to develop a diagnostic algorithm capable of detecting and isolating faults based on the data gathered using accelerometers on the exterior of the IDG.