[3B2] Simulation-driven development of the RAPID algorithm for structural health monitoring of aerospace carbon composites
A Ballisat¹, L Nolan¹ and T Bertenshaw²
¹Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS), UK
²GKN Aerospace Services Ltd, UK
Within the ASCEND project, an Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)-funded multi-partner collaboration, GKN has developed a structural health monitoring (SHM) system for carbon composite structures based on the RAPID algorithm. Development of these systems is both financially expensive and time consuming. This can largely be overcome through using simulation to develop the technique prior to experimental verification. In this work, the Centre for Modelling and Simulation (CFMS) used an experimentally validated finite element model to digitally prototype and develop the inspection. This was coupled with high-performance computer resources to execute thousands of configurations to optimise the technique. Standard SHM performance metrics, including probability of detection and probability of false alarm, were used to quantitatively assess the performance of candidate configurations in detecting a range of expected defect cases. Quantitative sensitivity analysis was also applied, providing insight into the key parameters of the inspection and understanding which defect properties caused the greatest change in inspection response. This process enabled a wider range of scenarios to be considered and demonstrated that the technique is robust to sensing a wide range of defects whilst also determining the technique’s limitations. The optimised design was manufactured and experimentally verified, demonstrating the validity of the simulation-derived design and meeting the inspection’s performance requirements.
