Aerospace Requirements

Abstract

This chapter covers the overview of requirements arising in the aerospace industry for operating a structural health monitoring (SHM) system. The requirements are based on existing standards and guidelines and include both requirements on the physical components of the system (such as sensors, data acquisition systems and connectors) and their functional requirements (such as reliability, confidence measure and probability of detection). Emphasis has been given to on-board and ground-based components because they have different functionality requirements. An important factor in the reliability of the system is the effect of the environment and operational loads on the reliability of the diagnosis and, consequently, prognosis. The recommended guidelines for testing the reliability of the system under varying operational conditions are presented. This chapter is then finalized by reporting on methodologies for optimal sensor number and placement, based on different sensor technologies and different optimization algorithms.