US Navy Roadmap to Structural Health and Usage Monitoring – The Present and Future

The USN continues to operate under austere budgets and increased operational demands, while striving to meet the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) vision of “the right readiness, at the right cost.” One of the cornerstones to achieve this goal of affordable readiness is the Structural Health and Usage Monitoring (SHUM) program, an initiative to leverage existing and emerging technologies to manage and maximize the structural life of the fleet, from the airframe level to the component level. It entails an evolution from a reactive maintenance plan to a proactive structural life management philosophy. This program draws on existing aircraft usage monitoring capabilities, coupled with state-of-the-art component identification technology and individual aircraft loads generation. Future advanced diagnostic/prognostic capabilities will realize our long-term goal of implementing Conditional Based Maintenance (CBM) for airframes and structural components. SHUM, in conjunction with improved processes to reduce components’ susceptibility to external damage, will minimize total life cycle costs for the fleet.