RESEARCHERS at Purdue University have developed technology that detects damage to critical suspension components in military vehicles by driving over a speedbump-like ‘diagnostic cleat’ containing sensors.
Douglas Adams, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of Purdue University's Center for Systems Integrity says the technology is aimed at saving time and maintenance costs to vehicles and reducing downtime by identifying damage before it leads to failure in the field.
The vehicles are driven over the ‘tactical wheeled vehicle diagnostic cleat,’ which is like a rubber-jacketed speed bump equipped with sensors called triaxial accelerometers. The system measures vibrations created by forces that a vehicle's tires apply to the cleat. Damage is detected in the tires, wheel bearings and suspension components by using signal processing software to interpret the sensor data.
‘Let's say one of the tires is severely under pressure,’ Adams says.
‘The cleat tells you to turn around and fill up that tire because you are about to embark on a 10-hour mission with this vehicle. Or, you are returning the vehicle to the depot and the cleat tells you that the right rear suspension has a problem in the shock absorber or a critical bolt in the front suspension is broken. The maintenance personnel don't have to troubleshoot the vehicle. They know what to fix.’
By using the instrumented cleat and other "condition-based" maintenance methods, the military could reduce costs by performing work on vehicles when needed based on the condition of parts instead of performing scheduled maintenance on vehicles regardless of whether they need the work.
The researchers tested their system in experiments with high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, or Humvees, and also developed a computational model to simulate how the system works.
‘Our simulated model showed us that we were capable of using the system accurately to detect damage to vehicle components, and our experiments with actual vehicles validated the model,’ says Adams.
‘The system was sensitive to as little as a 5 percent change in the stiffness of the suspension.’
The system does not require specialized training to operate, and it is relatively inexpensive, costing about $1,500, which is spread across the inventory of about 20,000 vehicles.
Adams says the system could also be used in commercial applications to test civilian vehicles.
Purdue University is working with the U.S. Army and Honeywell International to develop the ‘diagnostic cleat’ technology.
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