Hatchmoor Industrial Estate, TorringtonDevon EX38 7HP, UK

www.helitune.comPhone +44(0)1805 624650Fax +44(0)1805 624 689

Health Monitoring in Helicopters

KTP Regional Seminar

By Steve Pollard

page 2

Introduction

Partners

Project

Background

Project Achievements

Conclusion

page 3

KTP Partners

Company Partner – Helitune Ltd

- Provides Aircraft Vibration Solutions for Rotor Track & Balance (RTB)

- Customers in over 30 countries worldwide

Academic Partner - University of Bristol

- Aerospace Engineering

- Bristol University Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering (BLADE)

page 4

Project Overview

Aims

- Develop a ‘next generation RTB algorithm’

- Embed human expertise within Helitune’s products

Scope

- 3 year project

- 2 associates

page 5

Why do we need vibration reduction?

page 6

Business Case

RTB is essential maintenance

Accounts for 5-12% of all flight hours

Effects of vibration costs 2.5-3 hours of maintenance per flight hour

Reducing flights quickly generates large cost savings for operators

page 7

An RTB primer

Series of test flights to collect vibration data

Adjust the rotor in between flights (not in-flight!)

page 8

History/Development

Early Manual Methods

- Flag tracking

Electronic Methods

- Digital Signal Processing

Next Generation

- Solve track & balance simultaneously

page 9

Achievements to Date Successful flight trial at RUAG in Germany

page 10

Achievements to Date

CH53 implementation

UH-60 Wind Tunnel Trial

A109 LUH remote trials

page 11

Achievements to Date

Wind Turbine Tracking

UH-1D Concept Study

AW101 Merlin – Onboard system

page 12

Summary

Benefits to date

- Algorithm in use

- Improved predictive capability for equipment

- Results show reduction in number of flights needed

- KTP has won substantial business for the company

- Networking opportunities for both Company and University Looking Forward

- Further algorithm development

- Add ‘intelligence’

- 2nd KTP established

page 13

Questions?