Structural health monitoring of rotating blades on helicopters

AbstractThe paper discusses the structural health monitoring of rotating blades on helicopters (RBH) based on the application of Modal Analysis. The study discussed in this paper includes the experimental validation of state-of-the-art techniques for the on-line measurement of dynamic signals of helicopter rotating units, optimization of the sensor type for rotating unit measurement, analysis of the practical applicability of modal analysis techniques for condition-based monitoring of rotating structures and estimation of the efficiency of the experimental system for the identification of practical damages of blades. The research was conducted using helicopter blade models operating within an experimental test bench. The capabilities of diagnostic technique application to main rotor gears and bearings are also presented. Conclusions are made about the successful analysis of the operational modal analysis technique applicability for the structural health monitoring of a rotating blade, and its effectivenes...