Structural Monitoring Systems - Structural Vacuum Monitoring and Inspection

Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM™) technology has been developed and patented by Australian-based company Structural Monitoring Systems for use in structural monitoring and inspection.

CVM is applicable to a variety of structures and materials – including aviation, infrastructure and laboratory-based testing – where the early detection of small cracks is an essential part of structural integrity management.

Aircraft maintenance efficiency can be significantly enhanced due to the fact that sensors are permanently installed and no strip or rebuild is required to carry out an inspection.

COMPARATIVE VACUUM MONITORING IN AIRCRAFT

CVM is a patented technology that has been trialled on a variety of civil and military aircraft over the past five years. These trials have allowed a robust and durable sensor material to be developed as part of the qualification programme.

In March 2007, Boeing agreed to include CVM in 'common methods for the NDT manual'. This means that airlines can develop alternative means of compliance for specific inspections that will give them significant time savings. A measurement with a PM200 device will take less than ten minutes, compared with up to 120 man-hours for an inspection which requires strip and rebuild.

PM200 PORTABLE COMPARATIVE VACUUM MONITORING DEVICE

Self-adhesive polymer CVM sensors are applied to the areas of interest and are interrogated with the portable PM200 via an easy access test point socket. Tail number, sensor ID and baseline measurements are stored in the test point socket and are easily downloaded along with the inspection measurement via USB to a PC or laptop database. If a crack has breached the sensor, the PM200 will give a reading significantly higher than the baseline (install) reading.

CVM SENSORS FOR AIRBUS 380

Airbus is using CVM sensors on the A380 full-scale fatigue test and has put the sensors through a series of environmental trials, including exposure to extreme temperatures and a range of aviation contaminants.

CVM AIR FORCE APPLICATIONS

In Australia, the office of the Director General Technical Airworthiness (DGTA) recently conducted a review of the company's quality management system and CVM products, and has determined that CVM is a suitable and acceptable structural integrity inspection technique for Australian Defence Force (ADF) platform applications.

This endorsement is an important step forward as it clears the way for the evaluation of specific applications of CVM technology on Australian military aircraft, improved fleet availability and reduced maintenance costs.