Corrosion Monitoring of Aircraft Based on the Corrosion Prognostic Health Management (CPHM) System

Abstract

The article presents methods to monitor the actual state of aircraft’s airframe, in particular, the onset of corrosion. The greatest emphasis is put on the “Corrosion Prognostic Health Management” CPHM system. Authors discuss corrosion detection using NDT methods as well as the possibilities of forecasting methods for estimating the onset of corrosion basing on the data gathered by means corrosion sensors. Based on the results of the previous research and analyses, authors focus on monitoring the internal microclimate and the factors causing corrosion in the aspect of damage tolerance operation of the aircraft. The results of the preliminary studies giving credibility to the concepts of predicting corrosion onset in the aircraft structure are presented. Preliminary results of tests carried out in supervised flights are also presented. The final part of the article presents the concept of modernizing the corrosion field site in order to use it in hermetic and non-hermetic tests of aircraft spaces.