Structural Health Monitoring Cost Estimation of a Piezosensorized Aircraft Fuselage

Guided waves-based SHM systems are of interest in the aeronautic sector due to their lightweight, long interrogation distances, and low power consumption. In this study, a bottom-up framework for the estimation of the initial investment cost (C-OTC) and the added weight (W-AW) associated with the integration of a SHM system to an aircraft is presented. The framework provides a detailed breakdown of the activities and their costs for the sensorization of a structure using a fully wired approach or the adoption of the printed diagnostic film. Additionally, the framework considers the difference between configuring the system for Manual or Remote data acquisition. Based on the case study presented on the sensorization of a regional aircraft composite fuselage, there is a trade-off between C-OTC and W-AW for the SHM options considered. The Wired-Manual case leads to the lowest C-OTC with the highest W-AW, while the combination of diagnostic film with a Remote system leads to the highest C-OTC and the lowest W-AW. These estimations capture the characteristics of each system and can be integrated into cost-benefit analyses for the final selection of a particular configuration.

Automated summary

This study presents a framework for estimating the initial investment cost and added weight of integrating a structural health monitoring (SHM) system into an aircraft. The framework breaks down the sensorization activities and costs using wired or printed diagnostic film approaches, and considers the difference between manual and remote data acquisition. Based on a case study of a regional aircraft composite fuselage, there is a trade-off between cost and weight for different SHM options. These estimations capture the characteristics of each system and can be used in cost-benefit analyses for selecting the most suitable configuration.