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US 8,571,814 B2Granted
Load monitor reliability factor using an advanced fatigue reliability assessment model
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsJack Z. Zhao, David O. Adams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to one non-limiting embodiment, a method includes accessing distributions of flight loads associated with one or more flight regimes for a fleet of aircraft. Using the distributions of flight loads, a factor for at least one of the flight regimes is determined that provides a flight load adjustment for a component on each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft known to be affected through at least load damage by the at least one flight regime.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- accessing distributions of flight loads associated with one or more flight regimes for a fleet of aircraft;
- and
- a computer determining a factor for at least one of the flight regimes using the distributions of flight loads, wherein the factor provides a flight load adjustment for a component on each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft known to be affected through at least load damage by the at least one flight regime, and wherein said step of determining a factor for at least one of the flight regimes includes:
- A) identifying a critical flight regime from the occurrence distribution;
- B) determining a 99th percentile flight load value for the critical flight regime in the occurrence distribution;
- C) determining a 50th percentile flight load value for the critical flight regime in the occurrence distribution;
- and
- D) defining the factor as a ratio between the 99th percentile and 50th percentile flight load values for the critical flight regime.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- accessing distributions of flight loads associated with one or more flight regimes for a fleet of aircraft;
- and
- a computer determining, a factor for at least one of the flight regimes using the distributions of flight loads, wherein the factor provides a flight load adjustment for a component on each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft known to be affected through at least load damage by the at least one flight regime includes:
- determining a Weibull plot of an actual distribution of flight loads for one of the flight regimes;
- and
- defining the factor for a selected critical flight regime as a ratio between a 99th percentile Weibull plot flight loads value and a 50th percentile Weibull plot flight loads value for the flight regime.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising a computer configured through computer readable instructions to perform the operations of:
- determining a fatigue reliability of an aircraft component in response to at least one of flight usage data, flight load data, historical data, and a fatigue reliability assessment model;
- and
- determining, using distributions of flight loads, a factor for at least one of the flight regimes that provides a flight load adjustment for the component for each aircraft of a fleet known to be affected through at least load damage by the at least one flight regime by performing the steps of:
- A) identifying a critical flight regime from the occurrence distribution;
- B) determining a 99th percentile flight load value for the critical flight regime in the occurrence distribution;
- C) determining a 50th percentile flight load value for the critical flight regime in the occurrence distribution;
- and
- D) defining the factor as a ratio between the 99th percentile and 50th percentile flight load values for the critical flight regime.
5 more elements
A method performed by a computer either on-board or remote from an aircraft, comprising:
- receiving a flight loads reliability factor associated with a component on an aircraft;
- multiplying aircraft flight loads by the factor to determine adjusted flight loads using the computer;
- the computer adjusting, using at least the flight loads reliability factor, a lifetime of the component in response to the adjusted flight loads;
- the computer displaying the adjusted lifetime of the component;
- and
- wherein said step of the computer adjusting, using at least the flight loads reliability factor, a lifetime of the component in response to the adjusted flight loads comprises the computer defining the flight loads reliability factor as a ratio of between a 99th percentile flight loads reliability vale and a 50th percentile flight loads reliability value.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- accessing distributions of flight loads associated with one or more flight regimes for a fleet of aircraft;
- and
- a computer determining a factor for at least one of the flight regimes using the distributions of flight loads, wherein the factor provides a flight load adjustment for a component on each aircraft of a fleet of aircraft known to be affected through at least load damage by the at least one flight regime;
- and
- wherein the step of the computer determining a factor for a least one of the flight regions comprises the computer defining the factor as a ratio between a 99th percentile flight load value and a 50th percentile flight load value.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.