Capacitive transducer for condition based maintenance after harsh landing events

Oliver Tivadar Sagi, David Maynard, Eniko Enikov

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The objective of this work is to identify design parameters for a capacitive sensor designed to recognize and record helicopter harsh landing events. Harsh landing events are typically associated with landing speeds exceeding 2.5 m/s [1] and require mandatory structural inspection resulting in down-times that could last a week or longer. In cases where no visible damage occurs, harsh-landing events might be difficult to identify and record. This paper presents a finite element analysis of the acceleration profile at different locations of the skid of a Bell 206 L4 helicopter which is then used to design and test a low-cost capacitive sensor for monitoring harsh landing events. Time history and histograms of the acceleration signal during normal and harsh landings are presented. The capacitive accelerometer is designed to operate in the 10g to 360g range. The sensor is integrated directly on a wiring board and is readout by a micro-controller with a capacitive ASIC. Details of the sensor design, fabrication, and testing are presented. The presented material also provides hard-to-find design data on the structural accelerations which can occur during harsh landing.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationIEEE AUTOTESTCON 2011 - Systems Readiness Technology Conference
Subtitle of host publication"Transforming Maintenance through Advanced Test, Diagnosis and Prognosis", Proceedings
Pages286-291
Number of pages6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
EventSystems Readiness Technology Conference: "Transforming Maintenance through Advanced Test, Diagnosis and Prognosis", IEEE AUTOTESTCON 2011 - Baltimore, MD, United States
Duration: Sep 12 2011Sep 15 2011

Publication series

NameAUTOTESTCON (Proceedings)

Other

OtherSystems Readiness Technology Conference: "Transforming Maintenance through Advanced Test, Diagnosis and Prognosis", IEEE AUTOTESTCON 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBaltimore, MD
Period9/12/119/15/11

Keywords

  • accelerometer
  • condition based maintenance
  • drop test
  • hard landing
  • harsh landing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science Applications
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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