Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Smart Sensors Health”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

Active Control Technology at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Langley has a long history of attacking important technical opportunities from a broad base of supporting disciplines. The research and development at Langley in this subject area range from the test tube to the test flight. The information covered here will range from the development of innovative new materials, sensors and actuators, to the incorporation of smart sensors and actuators in practical devices, to the optimization of the location of these devices, to, finally, a wide variety of applications of these devices utilizing Langley's facilities and expertise. Advanced materials are being developed for sensors and actuators, as well as polymers for integrating smart devices into composite structures. Contributions reside in three key areas: computational materials; advanced piezoelectric materials; and integrated composite structures. The computational materials effort is focused on developing predictive tools for the efficient design of new materials with the appropriate combination of properties for next generation smart airframe systems. Research in the area of advanced piezoelectrics includes optimizing the efficiency, force output, use temperature, and energy transfer between the structure and device for both ceramic and polymeric materials. For structural health monitoring, advanced non-destructive techniques including fiber optics are being developed for detection of delaminations, cracks and environmental deterioration in aircraft structures. The computational materials effort is focused on developing predictive tools for the efficient design of new materials with the appropriate combination of properties for next generation smart airframe system. Innovative fabrication techniques processing structural composites with sensor and actuator integration are being developed.

Antcliff, Richard R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

AOI [1] Advanced Manufacturing of Ceramic Anchors with Embedded Sensors for Process and Health Monitoring of Coal Boilers

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) developed methods to fabricate and test ceramic anchors with an embedded sensor technology for monitoring the health and processing conditions within pulverized coal (PC) and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) boiler systems. The technology included the development of advanced manufacturing processes for 2D/3D printing electroceramic (conductive ceramic) sensor designs within the ceramic anchor microstructure during the manufacturing process. This advanced manufacturing process would allow for the precise control of local microstructure and composition in order to engineer layer-by-layer any protective and electrically active materials within the refractory anchor. This 3D printing technology would permit the rapid and controlled design of the refractory microstructure and embedded sensor design throughout the volume of the ceramic anchor. The work also included a method to interconnect the sensors to boiler shell through the anchor clamp, where the sensor signals will be processed by low-power electronics and transmitted wirelessly to a central processing hub. The end-goal of the program was to produce a ceramic anchor sensor system which would be ready for implementation within a coal boiler, and/or other similar refractory liner systems (such as that in the glass and metal manufacturing areas). The project objectives were to: 1) Define the chemical and microstructural stability, in addition to the electrical properties, of oxide and non-oxide ceramic composites to be embedded within the ceramic anchor compositions that may operate up to 1400ºC; 2) Develop and implement the 2D/3D printing technology to pattern and control the microstructure of the ceramic anchor and embedded sensor circuits; 3) Develop an interconnect technology which will permit easy installation of the ceramic anchors and signal collection at the boiler shell; 4) Develop low power analog electronics and wireless communication hardware to efficiently collect the sensor signal at each processing unit and transmit data to a central hub for data analysis; 5) Demonstrate the smart ceramic anchor system for temperature and liner fracture within a high-temperature processing unit, such as a boiler furnace or glass melting furnace floor/wall liner.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Event Detection in Aerospace Systems using Centralized Sensor Networks: A Comparative Study of Several Methodologies

Recent advances in micro electromechanical systems technology, digital electronics, and wireless communications have enabled development of low-cost, low-power, multifunctional miniature smart sensors. These sensors can be deployed throughout a region in an aerospace vehicle to build a network for measurement, detection and surveillance applications. Event detection using such centralized sensor networks is often regarded as one of the most promising health management technologies in aerospace applications where timely detection of local anomalies has a great impact on the safety of the mission. In this paper, we propose to conduct a qualitative comparison of several local event detection algorithms for centralized redundant sensor networks. The algorithms are compared with respect to their ability to locate and evaluate an event in the presence of noise and sensor failures for various node geometries and densities.

Mehr, Ali Farhang↗
DOE OSTI2020

Smart Composite Pressure Vessels (SCPV) with Integrated Health Monitoring

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is promoting and developing more energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies that will enable America to use less petroleum. Hydrogen fuel cells – which directly convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity with only water and heat as byproducts – are a very attractive solution that can enable this to happen. To date, DOE's efforts have culminated in commercial demonstration of on-board vehicular hydrogen storage systems that can allow for a driving range of greater than 300 miles. This requires storing 5 Kgs of hydrogen onboard a light vehicle. In order to store this quantity of hydrogen, the hydrogen gas needs to be stored in a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) at a very high internal pressure. The objective of the program was to demonstrate continuous and predictable health-monitoring of composite pressure vessels. A higher confidence in the operational safety of the vessels will lead to reduced burst factor of safety imposed by regulatory standards and hence will help reduce the structural wall thickness that drives the cost of the vessel. Highly optimized Type III (metal lined) and Type IV (polymer lined) COPVs that are manufactured using filament winding process have been designed and qualified for the above mentioned application. However, the main structural component of the COPVs is carbon fiber and the high cost of carbon fiber composite in a pressure vessel is a primary challenge in reducing the cost of gaseous hydrogen storage. Continuous and remote monitoring of structural health of the COPVs as well as optimization of the strength translation of carbon fibers have the potential to allow for reduced factor of safety, thereby reduced amount of carbon and associated cost of the vessel. In the current program, the project team including Steelhead Composites (SHC), University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), Teijin Carbon America, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and LUNA designed, fabricated, and tested smart composite pressure vessels with integrated sensors. Iterative loops of design and testing using coupons, subscale STEB vessels and full size vessels proved that a new generation of high performance carbon fiber can be used for efficient design of Type 3 vessels for H2 storage. Novel analysis techniques were developed to predict the initiation and propagation of interlaminar damage inside the composite shell due to impact damage, a real threat in practical operation. Such an analysis scheme is typically not used in tank design but is an essential tool for health monitoring of composite vessels. Remote sensing of the key signatures of the tank’s operating parameters such as pressure, acceleration and humidity was demonstrated using a unique device that can wirelessly transmit and stream the data to a remote server. Fiber optic sensors were successfully integrated during fabrication of the tanks. These sensors provide a wealth of information regarding the structural health of the vessel when it is subsequently pressurized or subjected to impact damage. Excellent correlation was demonstrated between the fiber optic sensor and mechanical strain gage data, and between the measurements and analytical predictions.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2022

Flexible organic integrated electronics for self-powered multiplexed ocular monitoring

Smart contact lens has drawn extensive research interests due to the noninvasive real-time detection of the human body to provide biomedical information for health management. However, it has been difficult to accurately measure the physiological signals in tears, and the use of external power source has also hindered the future applications. Here, we demonstrated an organic electrochemical transistor based multiplexed sensors self-powered by the organic solar cells (OSCs). The integrated device was fabricated via simple process including solution blade-coating and thermal evaporation. OSCs were optimized to provide optimal operation voltage for the sensors that exhibit semilog-linear response to the glucose and calcium ions in tear fluids without any peripheral circuits. The sensing signals can be transmitted to the laptop wirelessly through a near filed communication unit. This integrated self-powered multiplexed sensing device will provide real-time monitoring of the biomarkers in tears, prospected to be installed on the smart contact lens for the early detection and diagnosis of diabetes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2003

Impedance-Based Structural Health Monitoring for Composite Laminates at Cryogenic Environments

One of the important ways of increasing the payload in a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) is to replace heavy metallic materials by lightweight composite laminates. Among various parts and systems of the RLV, this project focuses on tanks containing cryogenic fuel. Historically, aluminum alloys have been used as the materials to construct fuel tanks for launch vehicles. To replace aluminum alloys with composite laminates or honeycomb materials, engineers have to make sure that the composites are free of defects before, during, and after launch. In addition to robust design and manufacturing procedures, the performance of the composite structures needs to be monitored constantly.In recent years, the impedance-based health monitoring technique has shown its promise in many applications. This technique makes use of the special properties of smart piezoelectric materials to identify the change of material properties due to the nucleation and progression of damage. The piezoceramic patch serves as a sensor and an actuator simultaneously. The piezoelectric patch is bonded onto an existing structure or embedded into a new structure and electrically excited at high frequencies. The signature (impedance or admittance) is extracted as a function of the exciting frequency and is compared with the baseline signature of the healthy state. The damage is quantified using root mean square deviation (RMSD) in the impedance signatures with respect to the baseline signature. A major advantage of this technique is that the procedure is nondestructive in nature and does not perturb the properties and performance of the materials and structures. This project aims at applying the impedance-based nondestructive testing technique to the damage identification of composite laminates at cryogenic temperature.

Tseng, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1990

On-orbit structural health monitoring

On-orbit structural health monitoring aboard space platforms requires the development of sensor systems for assessing impact damage from particles and debris, the effects of atomic oxygen erosion, and the integrity of power systems, storage tanks, pressure vessels, and major structural elements. The task of implementing such a smart structure diagnostic system during the initial phase of the NASA Space Station Freedom is evaluated, with a view to more complete smart structures implementation in the course of station evolution. The data processing/cataloguing task may ultimately require AI and neural networks.

Rogowski, Robert S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Controls and Health Management Technologies for Intelligent Aerospace Propulsion Systems

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. The Controls and Dynamics Technology Branch at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of an Intelligent Engine. The key enabling technologies for an Intelligent Engine are the increased efficiencies of components through active control, advanced diagnostics and prognostics integrated with intelligent engine control to enhance component life, and distributed control with smart sensors and actuators in an adaptive fault tolerant architecture. This paper describes the current activities of the Controls and Dynamics Technology Branch in the areas of active component control and propulsion system intelligent control, and presents some recent analytical and experimental results in these areas.

Garg, Sanjay↗
DOE OSTI2023

In-field strain and temperature measurements in a (RE)Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7–x coil via Rayleigh-backscattering interrogated optical fibers

(RE)Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (REBCO) conductors have overcome technical challenges related to manufacturing quality, length homogeneity, scale-up of piece-length, and joints. There is one remaining technical challenge, however, which is common to all high temperature superconductors and lies in effective detection of failure to prevent material degradation. An innovative technique based on optical fibers interrogated by Rayleigh backscattering has been shown to have advantages over voltage taps at detecting incipient faults. Prior work has experimentally demonstrated the technique in several implementation scenarios, including direct integration of optical fibers into superconducting conductors and cables to create a class of ‘SMART’ conductors and cables that are able to monitor their own health. In this paper, the magnet monitoring technique based on Rayleigh backscattering interrogated optical fibers has been experimentally studied in a model coil subject to external magnetic field, where different fiber integration methods are used to increase selectivity of the fiber sensor to temperature. Results show that the spectral shift displays different features during strain and thermal transients. The implications of the results in terms of potential and limitations of each sensor as well as strain-temperature decoupling are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA Glenn Research in Controls and Diagnostics for Intelligent Aerospace Propulsion Systems

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. Also the propulsion systems required to enable the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Vision for Space Exploration in an affordable manner will need to have high reliability, safety and autonomous operation capability. The Controls and Dynamics Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of Intelligent Propulsion Systems. The key enabling technologies for an Intelligent Propulsion System are the increased efficiencies of components through active control, advanced diagnostics and prognostics integrated with intelligent engine control to enhance operational reliability and component life, and distributed control with smart sensors and actuators in an adaptive fault tolerant architecture. This paper describes the current activities of the Controls and Dynamics Branch in the areas of active component control and propulsion system intelligent control, and presents some recent analytical and experimental results in these areas.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2007

Introduction to Advanced Engine Control Concepts

With the increased emphasis on aircraft safety, enhanced performance and affordability, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of aircraft, there are many new challenges being faced by the designers of aircraft propulsion systems. The Controls and Dynamics Branch at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, is leading and participating in various projects in partnership with other organizations within GRC and across NASA, the U.S. aerospace industry, and academia to develop advanced controls and health management technologies that will help meet these challenges through the concept of Intelligent Propulsion Systems. The key enabling technologies for an Intelligent Propulsion System are the increased efficiencies of components through active control, advanced diagnostics and prognostics integrated with intelligent engine control to enhance operational reliability and component life, and distributed control with smart sensors and actuators in an adaptive fault tolerant architecture. This presentation describes the current activities of the Controls and Dynamics Branch in the areas of active component control and propulsion system intelligent control, and presents some recent analytical and experimental results in these areas.

Sanjay, Garg↗
DOE OSTI2023

Low power sensor for NO x detection

Detection and capture of toxic nitrogen oxides (NO x ) is important for emissions control of exhaust gases and general public health. The low power sensor provides direct electrically detection of trace (0.5-5 ppm) NO 2 at relatively low temperatures (50° C.) via changes in the electrical properties of nitrogen-oxide-capture active materials. For example, the high impedance of MOF-74 enables applications requiring a near-zero power sensor or dosimeter, such as for smart industrial systems and the internet of things, with 0.8 mg MOF-74 active material drawing <15 pW for a macroscale sensor 35 mm 2 area.

Small, Leo J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Monitoring of Structural Integrity of Composite Structures by Embedded Optical Fiber Sensors

Real time monitoring of the mechanical integrity and stresses on key aerospace composite structures like aircraft wings, walls of pressure vessels and fuel tanks or any other structurally extended components and panels as in space telescopes is very important to NASA. Future military and commercial aircraft as well as NASA space systems such as Space Based Radar and International Space Station will incorporate a monitoring system to sense any degradation to the structure. In the extreme flight conditions of an aerospace vehicle it might be desirable to measure the strain every ten centimeters and thus fully map out the strain field of a composite component. A series of missions and vehicle health management requirements call for these measurements. At the moment thousands of people support a few vehicle launches per year. This number can be significantly reduced by implementing intelligent vehicles with integral nervous systems (smart structures). This would require maintenance to be performed only as needed. Military and commercial aircrafts have an equally compelling case. Maintenance yearly costs are currently reaching astronomical heights. Monitoring techniques are therefore required that allow for maintenance to be performed only when needed. This would allow improved safety by insuring that necessary tasks are performed while reducing costs by eliminating procedures that are costly and not needed. The advantages fiber optical sensors have over conventional electro-mechanical systems like strain gauges have been widely extolled in the research literature. These advantages include their small size, low weight, immunity to electrical resistance, corrosion resistance, compatibility with composite materials and process conditions, and multiplexing capabilities. One fiber optic device which is suitable for distributed sensing is the fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Researchers at NASA MSFC are currently developing techniques for using FBGs for monitoring the integrity of advanced structural materials expected to become the mainstay of the current and future generation space structures. Since carbon-epoxy composites are the materials of choice for the current space structures, the initial study is concentrated on this type of composite. The goals of this activity are to use embedded FBG sensors for measuring strain and temperature of composite structures, and to investigate the effects of various parameters such as composite fiber orientation with respect to the optical sensor, unidirectional fiber composite, fabrication process etc., on the optical performance of the sensor. This paper describes an experiment to demonstrate the use of an embedded FBG for measuring strain in a composite material. The performance of the fiber optic sensor is determined by direct comparison with results from more conventional instrumentation.

Albert J. Osei↗
NASA NTRS2013

Ubiquitous Wireless Smart Sensing and Control

Need new technologies to reliably and safely have humans interact within sensored environments (integrated user interfaces, physical and cognitive augmentation, training, and human-systems integration tools). Areas of focus include: radio frequency identification (RFID), motion tracking, wireless communication, wearable computing, adaptive training and decision support systems, and tele-operations. The challenge is developing effective, low cost/mass/volume/power integrated monitoring systems to assess and control system, environmental, and operator health; and accurately determining and controlling the physical, chemical, and biological environments of the areas and associated environmental control systems.

Wagner, Raymond↗
NASA NTRS2006

Wholly Aromatic Ether-Imides as n-Type Semiconductors

Some wholly aromatic ether-imides consisting of rod-shaped, relatively-low-mass molecules that can form liquid crystals have been investigated for potential utility as electron-donor-type (ntype) organic semiconductors. It is envisioned that after further research to improve understanding of their physical and chemical properties, compounds of this type would be used to make thin film semiconductor devices (e.g., photovoltaic cells and field-effect transistors) on flexible electronic-circuit substrates. This investigation was inspired by several prior developments: Poly(ether-imides) [PEIs] are a class of engineering plastics that have been used extensively in the form of films in a variety of electronic applications, including insulating layers, circuit boards, and low-permittivity coatings. Wholly aromatic PEIs containing naphthalene and perylene moieties have been shown to be useful as electrochromic polymers. More recently, low-molecular-weight imides comprising naphthalene-based molecules with terminal fluorinated tails were shown to be useful as n-type organic semiconductors in such devices as field-effect transistors and Schottky diodes. Poly(etherimide)s as structural resins have been extensively investigated at NASA Langley Research Center for over 30 years. More recently, the need for multi-functional materials has become increasingly important. This n-type semiconductor illustrates the scope of current work towards new families of PEIs that not only can be used as structural resins for carbon-fiber reinforced composites, but also can function as sensors. Such a multi-functional material would permit so-called in-situ health monitoring of composite structures during service. The work presented here demonstrates that parts of the PEI backbone can be used as an n-type semiconductor with such materials being sensitive to damage, temperature, stress, and pressure. In the near future, multi-functional or "smart" composite structures are envisioned to be able to communicate such important parameters to the flight crew and provide vital information with respect to the operational status of their aircraft.

Weiser, Erik↗
NASA NTRS2013

Ubiquitous Wireless Smart Sensing and Control. Pumps and Pipes JSC: Uniquely Houston

Need new technologies to reliably and safely have humans interact within sensored environments (integrated user interfaces, physical and cognitive augmentation, training, and human-systems integration tools).Areas of focus include: radio frequency identification (RFID), motion tracking, wireless communication, wearable computing, adaptive training and decision support systems, and tele-operations. The challenge is developing effective, low cost/mass/volume/power integrated monitoring systems to assess and control system, environmental, and operator health; and accurately determining and controlling the physical, chemical, and biological environments of the areas and associated environmental control systems.

Wagner, Raymond↗
DOE OSTI2022

Stresses within rare-earth doped yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings from in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction at high temperatures

There is a growing interest for smart coatings that can be integrated into turbine engines for in-situ temperature measurements or health monitoring. The addition of rare-earth dopants into standard thermal barrier ceramic top coat materials is used to obtain luminescent coatings that enable spectral measurements, for real-time temperature or health monitoring. The thermomechanical performance and durability of such novel coating compositions in extreme environments still remains to be evaluated. Consequently, the ability to manufacture sensor coatings which present suitable thermal properties needs to be demonstrated. For this study, highly luminescent erbium and europium doped yttria-stabilized zirconia and state-of-the-art yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings manufactured by air plasma spray were characterized to determine the effects of the embedded rareearth dopants on coating internal strain and stress and to quantify and compare their high temperature response using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. In-situ depth-resolved strain measurements were performed at 15 μm intervals along the depth of the coatings to evaluate materials response at key locations, specifically at layer interfaces. In-plane stress was calculated for the coatings and a finite element model was implemented to supplement the results and enable further predictions. The results show that the sensor coatings that were manufactured in this work revealed only minor variations in the strain response of sensor coatings under a typical thermal cycle and especially at temperatures closer to that of gas turbine operating conditions, compared to state-of-the-art coatings. This work demonstrates the viability of manufacturing rare-earth doped yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings that provide beneficial spectroscopic monitoring capabilities while having minimal impact on the thermomechanical response of the thermal barrier coatings.

Air plasma spray↗
NASA NTRS2007

An IEEE 1451.1 Architecture for ISHM Applications

The IEEE 1451.1 Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface defines a common network information model for connecting and managing smart elements in control and data acquisition networks using network-capable application processors (NCAPs). The Standard is a network-neutral design model that is easily ported across operating systems and physical networks for implementing complex acquisition and control applications by simply plugging in the appropriate network level drivers. To simplify configuration and tracking of transducer and actuator details, the family of 1451 standards defines a Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) that is associated with each physical element. The TEDS contains all of the pertinent information about the physical operations of a transducer (such as operating regions, calibration tables, and manufacturer information), which the NCAP uses to configure the system to support a specific transducer. The Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) group at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) has been developing an ISHM architecture that utilizes IEEE 1451.1 as the primary configuration and data acquisition mechanism for managing and collecting information from a network of distributed intelligent sensing elements. This work has involved collaboration with other NASA centers, universities and aerospace industries to develop IEEE 1451.1 compliant sensors and interfaces tailored to support health assessment of complex systems. This paper and presentation describe the development and implementation of an interface for the configuration, management and communication of data, information and knowledge generated by a distributed system of IEEE 1451.1 intelligent elements monitoring a rocket engine test system. In this context, an intelligent element is defined as one incorporating support for the IEEE 1451.x standards and additional ISHM functions. Our implementation supports real-time collection of both measurement data (raw ADC counts and converted engineering units) and health statistics produced by each intelligent element. The handling of configuration, calibration and health information is automated by using the TEDS in combination with other electronic data sheets extensions to convey health parameters. By integrating the IEEE 1451.1 Standard for a Smart Transducer Interface with ISHM technologies, each element within a complex system becomes a highly flexible computation engine capable of self-validation and performing other measures of the quality of information it is producing.

Morris, Jon A.↗