New motion amplification software could save the Air Force millions

  • Published
  • By Chris Seaton
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

A new technology, in use at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex for the past eight months, has predictive maintenance engineers excited for what they call “unlimited potential” for cost avoidance applications that could save the Air Force millions.

The equipment was created by RDI Technologies and is currently being used by the 76th Maintenance Support Group’s Industrial Process Engineering shop to help them in their mission to find problems before they become catastrophic.

The unassuming setup, developed by an astrophysicist at the University of Louisville, consists of a small video camera connected to a laptop computer.  When pointed at a machine or piece of equipment in use, the system measures deflection, displacement, movement and vibration not visible to the human eye.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a slow motion video is worth about 2.3 million,” said engineering technicians Jason Stroup and Tyler Walker.

That number refers to the amount of measurement points for every video the team records. While traditional vibration analysis requires between 200-300 measurements for adequate data, Tinker users say this technology can provide far more detailed information in a single 5-second video.

OC-ALC engineering technicians say the equipment has paid for itself very quickly. Vibration engineering technician Jeff Gazaway recalls walking by a vacuum pump on a regular inspection route and noticing a pipe moving more than he thought it should.

“We assumed it was a loose bolt.” said Gazaway. However, he said, the team utilized the camera for a closer inspection and found a total displacement of 28mils or .028 – enough to eventually cause catastrophic failure.

Through watching the amplified video, engineers determined the mounting bolts were loose and the pump’s concrete base was cracked and moving, undetectable to the human eye.  76th Maintenance Support Group engineers calculated a cost-avoidance savings of just over half a million dollars by using the new technology.

Later, using the same system, technicians noticed a defect in a new water pump. Their early detection allowed the Complex to immediately identify errors for the contractor to resolve rather than using government dollars to fix the problem later. This find had a calculated cost avoidance of $176,000.

Technicians say they find themselves frequently thinking about other potential uses as they walk around the Complex. Engineering Technician Supervisor Todd Moore says they envision applications for the test cell structure during jet engine testing and for aircraft wings as they flex.

These applications are possible because, unlike traditional methods, motion amplification cameras require no contact with equipment such as jet engines. Technicians can inspect a piece of equipment without interfering with its functions and while staying out of harm’s way.

OC-ALC technicians say, as far as they know, they are the first in the Air Force to use the technology for defense logistics. The word has spread quickly within the Complex as engineers from other groups see the gear in action.

“You can talk all day long to an engineer about movement, but they’re awestruck when they see it,” said Stroup. “This is the most exciting tech we’ve had in the last ten years.”