A method is provided for processing data to establish lifecycle threads in the development of a structural product. The method includes defining a source lifecycle thread from process-related information for development of the structural product, and defining and matching a target lifecycle thread to the source lifecycle thread. The process, and source and target lifecycle threads are expressible as respectively a network and sub-networks of tasks described by a plurality of attributes. For defining either or each of the source lifecycle thread or target lifecycle thread, the method includes at least receiving user selection of an attribute of the plurality of attributes as user-selected criteria, performing a cluster analysis according to the user-selected criteria to produce a plurality of clusters of candidate tasks from the plurality of tasks, and selecting tasks from the plurality of clusters of candidate tasks for the source/target lifecycle thread.

Systems and methods for high-speed non-destructive inspection of a half- or full-barrel-shaped workpiece, such as a barrel-shaped section of an aircraft fuselage. Such workpieces can be scanned externally using a mobile (e.g., translating) arch gantry system comprising a translatable arch frame disposed outside the fuselage section, a carriage that can travel along a curved track carried by the arch frame, a radially inward-extending telescopic arm having a proximal end fixedly coupled to the carriage, and an NDI sensor unit coupled to a distal end of the telescoping arm. The stiffeners of the fuselage sections can be scanned using a mobile scanner platform disposed inside the fuselage section, which platform comprises a radially outward-extending telescopic arm rotatably coupled to a mobile (e.g., holonomic or linear motion) platform and an NDI sensor unit coupled to a distal end of the telescoping arm. The scan data is matched with position data acquired using any one of a plurality of tracking systems to enable the display of NDI features/flaws on a three-dimensional representation of the workpiece.

According to one implementation, a method of making design information of an aircraft structural object, executed by a computer, includes: setting at least one parameter as a variable for an optimization calculation which minimizes a weight of the structural object composing an aircraft; setting at least one allowable range for at least a strength of the structural object corresponding to the at least one parameter; and calculating an optimal value of the weight of the structural object and a value of the at least one parameter by the optimization calculation. The at least one parameter expresses the design information of the structural object. The at least one allowable range is set as at least one constraint condition of the optimization calculation. The value of the at least one parameter corresponds to the optimal value and meets the at least one allowable range.

According to one implementation, a method of making design information of an aircraft structural object, executed by a computer, includes: setting at least one parameter as a variable for an optimization calculation which minimizes a weight of the structural object composing an aircraft; setting at least one allowable range for at least a strength of the structural object corresponding to the at least one parameter; and calculating an optimal value of the weight of the structural object and a value of the at least one parameter by the optimization calculation. The at least one parameter expresses the design information of the structural object. The at least one allowable range is set as at least one constraint condition of the optimization calculation. The value of the at least one parameter corresponds to the optimal value and meets the at least one allowable range.

A balloon system including a balloon envelope and a ballonet positioned within the balloon envelope, and a plurality of internal panels extending within the balloon envelope between the ballonet and the balloon envelope, wherein the plurality of internal panels are attached to an outside of the ballonet and attached to an inside of the balloon envelope to support the ballonet within the balloon envelope during inflation of the ballonet.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus that includes a personnel location device that is configured to determine a proximity of personnel to a structure. The apparatus also includes a data filter that is configured to filter maintenance-procedure data from an electronic maintenance technical publication responsive to, at least in part, the proximity of personnel to the structure determined by the personnel location device. Additionally, the data filter is configured to create a first filtered electronic maintenance technical publication that includes the maintenance-procedure data filtered from the electronic maintenance technical publication.

A method for designing a material for an aircraft component according to one example includes training a neural network to correlate microstructural features of an alloy with material properties of the alloy by at least providing a set of images of the alloy. Each of the images in the set of images has varied constituent compositions and at least one patch of corresponding data is embedded into the image. The method also includes determining non-linear relationships between the microstructural features and corresponding empirically determined material properties via a machine learning algorithm, receiving a set of desired material properties of the alloy for aircraft component, and determining a set of microstructural features capable of achieving the desired material properties of the alloy based on the determined non-linear relationships.

A method for designing a material for an aircraft component according to one example includes training a neural network to correlate microstructural features of an alloy with material properties of the alloy by at least providing a set of images of the alloy. Each of the images in the set of images has varied constituent compositions and at least one patch of corresponding data is embedded into the image. The method also includes determining non-linear relationships between the microstructural features and corresponding empirically determined material properties via a machine learning algorithm, receiving a set of desired material properties of the alloy for aircraft component, and determining a set of microstructural features capable of achieving the desired material properties of the alloy based on the determined non-linear relationships.

A method for coordinating contamination removal on a surface of an aircraft, comprising receiving an electronic contamination removal request, determining location for contamination removal treatment, electronically transmitting location for contamination removal treatment to aircraft, electronically receiving progress of contamination removal treatment, and electronically transmitting progress of contamination removal treatment to aircraft, wherein the progress of contamination removal treatment is displayed on multiple displays to allow for close monitoring of the contamination removal treatment.

A method for locating external surface impacts on a body. The steps are: modeling the body in a control unit first database to obtain a virtual body model in a virtual system of reference axes; modeling, in a second database, a plurality of clouds of points in the virtual system, each cloud defining an inspection zone representing an external surface portion; selecting an inspection zone; transferring the coordinates of each point of the first and second databases to a geographic system of reference axes; determining geographic coordinates of an initial position of a range finder equipped flying drone communicating with the processing unit; calculating a drone flight plan to scan the selected inspection zone; creating a 3D meshing of the scanned inspection zone; detecting the impacts by comparing the 3D meshing and the virtual aircraft model and calculating the coordinates of each impact in the geographic and virtual systems.