The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) recently tasked a subcommittee with developing a plan to determine when prognostics and health management (PHM) should be incorporated into manufacturing operations. Local engineers appointed to the subcommittee include Mississippi State University's Sara Fuller, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems - Extension and T.C. Falls, Institute for Systems Engineering Research (ISER), and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Maria Seale. Members of the subcommittee will develop an ASME document on "Determining When and Where PHM Should Be Integrated in Manufacturing Operations" that will address standardized terminology for availability and maintenance of manufacturing operations. This document is intended to assist manufacturers in decision-making to determine when and where to integrate monitoring, diagnostic, and prognostic tools and systems in their facilities.
During the subcommittee's November 2019 meeting held in St. Louis, MO, the team received a tour of Boeing's F/A-18 assembly plant and its 777X composite center, where the company's composite wing edges and tail parts for the next generation of the company's wide-body jet are manufactured. In 2018, Boeing began a Service Life Modification (SLM) program to upgrade older model planes. The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing its first contract to retrofit the aging Super Hornet with an advanced cockpit system featuring a larger touch screen, new computer programs, conformal fuel tank, and stealth improvements. The 777X is Boeing's newest jetliner with a composite wing and newer engines that are about 5% more efficient that others in its class.
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