Total Rotorcraft Utility Winch (TRUW) Gearbox PHM Navy SBIR FY2010.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2010.1 Topic No.: N101-024 Topic Title: Total Rotorcraft Utility Winch (TRUW) Gearbox PHM Proposal No.: N101-024-0333 Firm: Impact Technologies, LLC 200 Canal View Blvd Rochester, New York 14623-2851 Contact: Matthew Watson Phone: (814) 861-6273 Web Site: www.impact-tek.com Abstract: Impact Technologies, with support from multiple helicopter system OEMs, proposes to develop a universal, low-power, modular, wireless-capable system that can monitor the condition of winch components. The system will utilize a limited number of digital smart sensors to collect necessary data and autonomously generate and display the remaining service life, current health state, and failure mode classification (if detected). Multiple sensed parameters (vibration, oil quality & debris, and temperature) will be collected with a minimal suite of existing sensors to provide comprehensive failure mode coverage. Using proven methods with low technical risk, Impact proposes to integrate the results of the winch PHM system into existing HUMS systems, allowing integration of winch specific information into established maintenance and logistic procedures. The program is innovative in its combination of new analysis/modeling methods, proven digital smart sensors, of which many have been successfully implemented by the authors in previous machinery health management programs, data fusion, and wireless architecture design. Ultimately, the outcome will be a modular and robust monitoring system that can be readily configured and deployed to monitor the condition of any winch or hoist system to maximize operational efficiency, increase safety, and reduce costs. Benefits: Once fielded, the winch/hoist health monitoring system will maximize operational efficiency and reduce life cycle cost by reducing the frequency and time needed to perform hoist/winch inspections, increase operational availability of critical aircraft through failure prediction of mission critical systems, increase safety by providing constant health monitoring of rescue hoists, and enable predictive logistics and mission planning benefits by providing remaining life predictions directly to currently used support systems and the maintainer. Impact believes there is a strong commercial market targeting commercial search and rescue (SAR) helicopters, industrial lift aircraft (such as helicopters used in logging & petroleum industries), and mining & construction installations for a robust, easy to install, winch and hoist health monitoring system. Although universal in design and implementation, the initial target platforms includes a variety of Navy hoist and reeling systems, such as the Airborne Mine Countermeasures-Carriage, Stream, Tow, and Recovery System (AMCM CSTRS) Winch System, Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS), and the H-60 rescue hoists. With the adaptable nature of the health monitoring technologies proposed, the developed device can easily be adapted for use on various systems used in variety of commercial or DoD applications, including US Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard helicopters. There is also great potential to adapt the system for civil use (including mining, construction, SAR, etc) and other machinery assets (industrial gearboxes, power plants, etc). Generally, any machinery that contains components similar to winch/hoist components (bearings, lubricants, gears, etc.) would benefit greatly from aspects of proposed diagnostic/prognostics methods and sensing technologies. Return