Developing SHM Requirements for Aircraft Structures with System Engineering

Structural Health Management (SHM) and its related technologies have been applied in aircraft structures for decades, which offer the combined benefits of reducing maintenance costs and improving structural design performance. It is generally known that requirements are the key to establishing SHM system correctly. However, there is lack of valid guidance for defining SHM system requirements using a systematic process. The unique challenge for SHM is that require designers to consider not only their own fields, but also the specifications and constraints of other interconnected systems. In this paper we identify activities specific to SHM design and development with system engineering (SE) method, provide some systematic guidance for designers in writing the SHM requirements to ensure that reasonable functions are considered in the process of SHM system development.