Structural Health Monitoring Damage Detection Systems for Aerospace

This open access book presents established methods of structural health monitoring (SHM) and discusses their technological merit in the current aerospace environment. While the aerospace industry aims for weight reduction to improve fuel efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and to decrease maintenance time and operating costs, aircraft structures are often designed and built heavier than required in order to accommodate unpredictable failure. A way to overcome this approach is the use of SHM systems to detect the presence of defects. This book covers all major contemporary aerospace-relevant SHM methods, from the basics of each method to the various defect types that SHM is required to detect to discussion of signal processing developments alongside considerations of aerospace safety requirements. It will be of interest to professionals in industry and academic researchers alike, as well as engineering students.

Markus Sause studied physics with a minor in computer science and received his doctorate in natural sciences. His habilitation dealt with the development and combination of in situ test methods for the characterization of fiber composites. Currently he is professor for Mechanical Engineering at the Institute for Materials Resource Management at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Materials Engineering of the University of Augsburg.

The focus of his research is the material behavior of hybrid fiber reinforced composites, the development of test methods for material characterization as well as modelling and data analysis. This ranges from the determination of micromechanical properties to the improvement of mechanical testing concepts at component level. A special focus is the application of in situ test methods for the study of damage progression. This ranges from the use of classical testing methods such as X-ray computed tomography, acoustic emission analysisand guided waves to specialized methods such as electromagnetic emission. Parallel to experimental approaches, multiscale and multiphysics modelling is used to derive insights on the principle of the test methods. Alongside this fundamental research, the developed methods are continuously improved for condition monitoring and structural health monitoring applications.

As of 2020, Markus Sause has authored more than 140 scientific publications among them two monographs and several book chapters.

Since 2017, he is Chairman of the Acoustic Emission Test Procedures Committee of the DGZfP and is a member of the Executive Board of the European Working Group on Acoustic Emission (EWGAE).

Elena Jasiūnienė received a Master degree in applied electronics, and a Ph.D. degree in Metrology and Measurements (all from the Kaunas University of Technology) and is currently a chief researcher at Prof. K. Baršauskas Ultrasound Research Institute and professor at Department ofElectronics Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology. Throughout this career, Prof. Jasiūnienė has acquired a very extensive and diverse knowledge in non-destructive testing, x-ray computed tomography, and ultrasonic measurements.

Prof. Jasiūnienė has extensive experience in management of multidisciplinary research projects through supervision of national and international (EU) collaborative projects that have been widely recognized for their high impact output, and was involved in many projects concerning various applications of non-destructive testing techniques for aerospace industry, space research, nuclear plants, etc. Other activities include: expert of European Commission, scientific advisory officer EASN (European Aeronautics Science Network) Board of Directors, and expert for European Commission and Research Council of Lithuania.