Health and Usage Monitoring Algorithm Based on Terrain Identification for Mechanical Components on an Army Ground Vehicle System

Abstract

The desire for enhanced functionality of Army vehicle systems has resulted in increasingly complex systems. This drive is in direct contention with another Army goal of improved reliability. Health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) and remaining-life prognostics are being developed to address these conflicting goals. One of the major challenges of applying a HUMS to an Army wheeled vehicle system is that the development and per unit cost of the HUMS needs to be relatively low in comparison with typical high-cost applications such as aircraft. Simplified algorithms that derive terrain exposure from a basic set of sensors and estimate fatigue damage accumulated on components where loading comes primarily from terrain have been developed to meet this need. Various inputs and statistical parameters are evaluated for this model based on accuracy of terrain identification and quality of fatigue prediction on an example component. The generalized process and recommendations for application of this model to military ground vehicle systems are discussed.