Maintenance optimization of an aircraft fleet considering IVHM based on cost and availability considering the use of additive manufacturing

Abstract

PHM and Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) are extensive areas of research. Whereas a lot of work has been done in diagnostics and prognostics, the economic viability is also an important aspect. The availability of aircraft in the aerospace sector is a critical factor; thus, cost and downtime are the main parameters to assess the impact of IVHM. Additionally, new technologies such as additive manufacturing have the potential to become standard repair procedures and its viability also has to be assessed. However, to accurately study the impact of these factors the particularities of the aerospace sector have to be taken into account. Several systems of the aircraft are considered as part of a single Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) that is replaced, and later repaired in the workshop without affecting the availability of the aircraft when a subcomponent fails; whereas other parts can be repaired while the aircraft is on the ground and assembled again in the same aircraft. This aspect affects the cost and downtime, and also has to be taken into account to assess the viability of any new technology or IVHM system.This paper describes an extensive cost and downtime model to take into account all these scenarios including the impact of using different types of IVHM systems. The impact of IVHM and new repair technologies are discussed comparing maintenance cost and downtime of parts of LRUs and parts repaired on the ground.