Data and information fusion for gas path debris monitoring

An overall Prognostics and Health Management System (PHM) implementation has the fundamental function of integrating information from multiple system elements and fusing this information into useful knowledge about system health. Effectively developing this function requires a structured approach to ensure that data level fusion, feature level fusion, and information level fusion are performed in a coherent architecture. In order to achieve the goal of engine health management necessary for PHM, a suite of advanced monitoring tools is required. These tools must have the capability to monitor and diagnose different aspects of the engine´s health so that the combined, or fused, data and information from the tools provide an accurate picture of the current and predicted engine condition. Gas path debris monitoring is one of the tools that can be used to achieve this objective. Engine Distress Monitoring System and Ingested Debris Monitoring System were demonstrated on the JSF Seeded Fault Engine Test (SFET) program. These tests provided a clear indication of the capability of gas path debris monitoring to be a useful tool for PHM. This paper describes specific examples from the SFET employing the case study methodology. Case studies include gas path component faults and wear conditions. The focus is the data and feature level fusion required to turn the gas path debris data into a useful input to the higher level information fusion function