Sponsor:

Air Force Research Laboratory

Research Team:

C. Richard Cassady, Jason Honeycutt, Mauricio Carrasco , Alejandro Mendoza, Edward A. Pohl, Lauren Chambers, Nick Rew, Heather L. Nachtmann

Universities Involved:

University of Arkansas

Start Date:

09/05/03

End Date:

01/29/05

Summary:

This project has the objective of defining the system structure and reliability characteristics of each component in the system, identifying characteristics of prognostic and diagnostic tools, developing a mathematical model that will provide an assessment of the system, and using USAF information to assess the potential for this methodology.
A key challenge faced by USAF maintenance personnel is the uncertainty associated with the information provided by prognostic and diagnostic tools. This uncertainty results from precision and accuracy issues associated with individual prognostic and diagnostic tools, as well as inconsistencies between different prognostic and diagnostic tools. This uncertainty makes it very difficult for maintenance technicians to choose an appropriate course of action. The end result is omission of necessary maintenance actions and performance of unnecessary actions. Both of these mistakes cause additional delays in returning an aircraft to the fleet and increased requirements for spare parts in the supply chain. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology based on mathematical modeling that can be used to synthesize the prognostic and diagnostic information and provide a recommended course of action to the technician. This methodology potentially could be incorporated into a decision-support tool for the technician.