Loading...
Loading...
Sikorsky Aircraft has
received Federal Aviation Administration approval to grant life extensions for
the Main Rotor Hub on the company's S-92® helicopter platform. Through its
aftermarket business, Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS), Sikorsky Aircraft
will have the ability to utilize Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS)
data to determine a one-time life adjustment for particular serial number main
rotor hubs in accordance with a methodology accepted by the FAA.
"Beyond monitoring for failure prevention, we have now advanced the usage of
HUMS data into the realm of operating cost reductions," said Steve Bohlman,
SAS Director, Global Service & Support. "By obtaining FAA approval for our
methodology, we have achieved an industry first. Extending the life of a
component through individual aircraft usage monitoring is an important first
step in using HUMS data to proactively reduce the operating and maintenance
cost of the S-92 aircraft."
The S-92 helicopter incorporates numerous safety features, including a flaw
tolerant design, and Sikorsky continues to make safety and performance
upgrades. HUMS provides another safety enhancement by allowing the SAS Fleet
Management Operations Center (FMOC) in Connecticut to monitor, on a continual
basis, the health of the worldwide S-92 helicopter fleet. Data collected by
the FMOC helps identify maintenance conditions including whether components
are wearing as expected.
The life calculation of the S-92A™ Main Rotor Hub is significantly influenced
by rotor blade centrifugal force and the number of Ground-Air-Ground (GAG)
cycles. Based on Sikorsky's FAA-approved life calculation methodology, the
recommended retirement time for the hub is 4,900 hours. Sikorsky engineering
teams have developed a new method for managing the retirement time of the
rotor hub. This FAA-approved methodology accounts for actual usage and permits
a one-time life extension, while maintaining the same margin of safety.
"The success of this simple HUMS-based retirement procedure serves as a
precursor for implementing more sophisticated technologies to manage component
retirement times," said Dr. Andreas Bernhard, SAS Director of Analytics &
Technology and Chief Engineer. "This paradigm change will result in
significant cost savings and reduction of the operator's maintenance burden –
as well as impact the design of new products. These types of methodologies can
realize optimal weight design and achieve reliability through continuous
monitoring of usage, loads, and health."
Loading...
Loading...
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
Join Now: Free!
Already a member?Sign in