Model-based Engine Health for Turboshaft Engines with Limited Instrumentation

Abstract

Helicopter health and usage monitoring has lagged large commercial aircraft due to the limited instrumentation and high mission complexity of typical rotorcraft. To counteract these challenges, a model-based framework is introduced to utilize knowledge of engine and aircraft operation to determine (either on-board or off-board) the overall engine health and margin as well as module health based solely on aircraft Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) data. The engine and module health can then be used to estimate remaining Time on Wing (TOW) as well as most likely condition-based maintenance for the engine.