IMDS International Helo Safety Symposium

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(No Transcript)
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Outline

• Navy/USMC Legacy Helicopter Fleet
• IMDS Description
• Functional Capabilities
• Safety-Enhancing Capabilities
• IMDS Growth and Future Applications

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Navy/Marine Corps Legacy Helicopters
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Navy HUMS Program Mandate

• Result of a 1993 VH-60N mishap during a
  maintenance flight
• H-53 designated lead-the-fleet platform for
  common helicopter IMDS
• CNO mandate to incorporate avionics safety
  systems
• Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS)
• Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation
• Crash-Survivable Flight Incident Recorders
  (CSFIR)
• Integrated Mechanical Diagnostic Systems (IMDS)
• Production program for H-53 and SH-60 began in
  1997, with H-1 added in 1999.
• Built by Goodrich Corporation, Fuel Utility
  Systems Div.

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IMDS Description

• Full-time onboard usage and diagnostic monitoring
• Engines
• Drive train
• Rotor system
• Also tracks
• Operational limit exceedances
• Operational and structural usage parameters
• Flight data is downloaded post-flight for further
  diagnosis and reporting to NALCOMIS
• System also on UH-1Y, AH-1Z, MH-60R/S, Army
  UH-60L/M and Sikorsky S-92

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IMDS Enhances Flight Safety

• IMDS provides valuable safety enhancement
• Diagnostic drive train monitoring
• In-flight alerting
• Flight data recorder options
• Supports systemic improvements, such as Military
  Flight Operations Quality Assurance
  (MFOQA)
• IMDS reduces maintenance

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Diagnostic Monitoring

• IMDS monitors the complete
• mechanical drive train
• 27 gears
• 28 shafts
• 71 bearings
• Automatic health calls are currently
• not fully enabled
• Requires adequate experience sample
• to set appropriate triggers
• Health calls being made by engineering, pending
  more data

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Diagnostic Monitoring
Example SH-60B 1 High-Speed Shaft Coupling,
BuNo 161563
1 HSS Inspected and re-balanced. No visible
defect found
Replaced coupling at request of the IMDS team
Normal flight data after maintenance
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Diagnostic Monitoring
Example CH-53E 1 Nose Gearbox, BuNo 162494
Gear tooth fragment found by chip detector
Gearbox removed
First chip detector fuzz burn-off noted
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IMDS Success Stories
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In-flight Alerting

• All IMDS data is available to the crew
• Not every IMDS find is brought to the crews
  attention in flight
• System currently annunciates NATOPS
  exceedances
• Alerting for imminent failures requires
• Larger statistical sample of data
• Rigorous safety hazard analysis
• Expectation is that continuous,
  long-term trending will reveal failures
  early

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Flight Data Recorder Interface

• IMDS enables options for Cockpit Voice/Flight
  Data Recorder (CVFDR)
• Current IMDS provides CVFDR interfaces
• P3I version will combine the Main Processor Unit
  (MPU) with a crash-protected CVFDR
• IMDS can provide any parameter it captures to a
  CVFDR
• Limited only by available memory
• IMDS data already provides
• Complete data for every flight
• Flight-to-flight trending
• A powerful tool for mishap investigation

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Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance
(MFOQA)

• A knowledge management process
• using flight data downloaded after every flight
• to provide quantitative performance information
  regarding aircrew and aircraft performance
• to improve training, operational readiness and
  safety.
• IMDS data files support MFOQA applications
• Sufficient parameters and data rates to be
  useable
• No redundant data collection system required

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IMDS Road Ahead

• Vision for system maturation
• Requires data from more installed systems
• Target areas for improving the system
• Reliable health calls throughout the mechanical
  drive train
• Begin the move to condition based maintenance
• Changes to maintenance concepts
• More information in the hands of users
• Application of HUMS as a mature tool
  in the next generation of rotorcraft

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Cost Savings Through Diagnostics

• Fault-based maintenance is an expensive practice
• Reduces availability
• Drives unscheduled maintenance
• May involve collateral damage or flight mishap
• Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is possible
  IF you
  can first assess condition
• Reduced OS costs
• Increased safety
• Increased reliability and availability
• More efficient use of personnel through
  application of technology

Diagnostic systems, such as IMDS, are key
enablers of CBM
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Diagnostic Systems for the Future Helicopter
Fleet

• NAVAIR is firmly committed to HUMS
• Enhances current/future readiness
• Reduces cost of doing our business
• Improves agility of our forces

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Questions