The Center for Predictive Maintenance at the University of South Carolina is an interdisciplinary
group spanning four departments and includes students at all levels of education along
with faculty members and military personnel. The program combines research and implementation
solutions to support the U.S. Army Aviation program.
Announcements
Project Spotlight - Virtual Reality and Predictive Analytics
The latest project for the Center for Predictive Maintenance combines predictive analytics
with virtual reality (VR) technology. The Center worked with USC's School of Visual
Art and Design and Research Cyberinfrastructure to create a VR demonstration showcasing
an Apache tail rotor drive train intermediate gearbox. The demo allows the user to
view the effects of fault progression in the wear of gears and how it affects the
health of the gears. This demonstration is part of a partnership between Clemson
University, the Fraunhofer Institute, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce
which hopes to provide the manufacturing industry a methodology for producing zero-defect
products. Click here to view a video showcasing the demonstration.
Technology Grant from Siemens Provides Software and Hardware
On June 22, USC and Sie
mens announced a technology grant of Siemens software and hardware valued at $628
million. This software and hardware will be used to train the next generation of
engineers in the manufacturing workforce. During the event for the announcement,
the Center for Predictive Maintenance was able to showcase it's Virtual Reality Demonstration
for an Apache Intermediate Gearbox. The Center will be able to use this software to
improve and build upon their current Intermediate Gearbox demonstration through model
creation and simulation of parts. Click here for more information about the announcement.
Interview with Education Advisory Board (EAB) about CBM
In early January, Dr. Bayoumi, director of CPM, did an interview with EAB about condition-based maintenance (CBM). It was a question and answer about CBM and the future of maintenance in higher education. In the intervew Dr. Bayoumi talks about how CBM compares to other types of maintenance along with the benefits and challenges. Click here to read the full interview.
CPM Attends NATO Chiefs of Transformation Conference
The Cen
ter for Predictive Maintenance recently attended the NATO Chiefs of Transformation
Conference (COTC) to present the intermediate gearbox demonstration to showcase the
capabilities of the University of South Carolina and IBM partnership to help military
in NATO contries with advanced computing and fleet management. The COTC focused on
how NATO and Partners can leverage innovation to shape future capabilities to meet
the ambitions of the Warsaw Summit outcomes now while preparing for an increasingly
unstable, uncertain, challenging and dangerous world environment in 2030 and beyond.
The presentation by USC was well received by all in attendance which included one,
two, three, and four star generals from the US and other NATO affiliated countries.
CPM featured in Breakthrough Article
The Center for Predictive Maintena
nce is experiencing exciting new growth. On August 15, the Center was featured in
an article for USC. The article talks about the future of the program with exciting
new projects and a new larger facility. Read the full article here.
2016 AHS Forum 72
This year, AHS International's 72nd Annu
al Forum and Technology Display was held in West Palm Beach, Florida. The three-day
conference included more than 265 presented technial papers along with insights and
panel discussions by key decision makers. The Center had two papers presented at
this years forum: "Estimation of Economic Effectiveness of HUMS equipped AH-64 Aircrafts:
An ROI Approach" presented by Tanzina Zaman and "A Training and Educational Demonstration
for Improving Maintenance Practices" presented by Travis Edwards.
Visitors from the Department of Defense
The Center for Predictive Maintenance (CPM) gave a tour to visitors from the Department
of Defense (DoD). Visitors were first given a general briefing on the activities
and history of the Center and then were given a tour of the facilities. They were
able to get an up close look at the various test stands at the Center and interact
with CPM team members.
RMPIG meeting in Fort Worth, Texas
General Eisner and Dr. Bayoumi recently attended a Rotary Wing Maintenance Programs
Industry Group (RMPIG) meeting held in Fort Worth, Texas. The meeting was hosted
by Bell Helicopter and attended by various people in industry, academia, and military.
Topics of discussion included HUMS for Credit, Power Usage Inspection Intervals,
and Maintenance Steering Group (MSG-3) reviews.