2017 Maintenance Innovation Challenge Winner Announced
Congratulations to Justin Massey and Andrea Boxell from NAVAIR for winning the 2017 Maintenance Innovation Challenge (MIC) at the DoD Maintenance Symposium. Their winning technology, DRIFT Composite Heat Damage Evaluation of V-22 Wing, aims to solve the problem of uncertainty of undetected incipient heat damage in composite materials used on DoD aircraft after a high-temperature event. Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) is a chemical analysis technique used for characterizing organic materials and can detect changes such as those caused by incipient heat damage. The DRIFT inspection technique is currently used on F/A-18 composite aircraft and is being transitioned to other NAVAIR platforms including the V-22. Uses of this technique result in reduced costs, greater safety, and faster return of aircraft to the warfighter, improving readiness.
We would also like to congratulate Timothy Morris and David Freeman of the U.S. Air Force, 412th Test Wing, 412th Maintenance Group, on winning the People’s Choice Award for their Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS). All of the finalists gave excellent presentations and we wish them all the best of luck in transitioning their technologies to both the DoD and commercial sectors.
2017 MIC Finalists:
MIC AWARD WINNER – DRIFT Composite Heat Damage Evaluation of V-22 Wing
Presented by Justin Massey and Andrea Boxell, NAVAIR
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER – Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS)
Presented by Timothy Morris and David Freeman, U.S. Air Force, 412th Test Wing, 412th Maintenance Group
Additive Manufacturing for Masking 76 PMXG Thermal Spray
Presented by Michael Lucis, USAF 76 PMXG, Tinker AFB
Enhanced HUMS for Fixed-Wing Aircraft
Presented by Seth Kessler, Ph.D., Metis Design Corporation, and Peter Carini, UTC Aerospace Systems
Expeditionary Hydraulic Fluid Analysis
Presented by Robert Yurko, Spectro Scientific and Mathew Boenker, AMRDEC
Solid State Additive Repairs for Maintenance Applications
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Wolk, Office of Naval Research