SAE ARP6461A

This document is applicable to civil aerospace airframe structural applications where stakeholders are seeking guidance on the definition, development, and certification of structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies for aircraft health management applications. Inputs to the structural health management are obtained from SHM equipment and/or from onboard sensors, delivering the detection and characterization of damage, load, or environmental parameters for operational and damage monitoring. For the purpose of this document, SHM is defined as “the process of acquiring and analyzing data from on-board sensors to characterize the health of a structure.” The suite of on-board sensors could include any presently installed aircraft sensors, as well as new sensors to be defined in the future. The development of structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies to achieve vehicle health management objectives in aerospace applications is an activity that spans multiple engineering disciplines. It is also recognized that many stakeholders—i.e., regulatory agencies, airlines, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), academia and equipment suppliers—are crucial to the process of certifying viable SHM solutions. Thus, a common language (definitions), framework of SHM solution approaches, and recommended practices for reaching those solutions are needed to promote fruitful and efficient technology development. Revision A of this document provides updated guidance based on a Five-Year Review.