ON THE DOUBLE
(NIAR) in developing the twin technology for the Army. “Tey are the cutting edge,” Myers said of NIAR. It is one of the lead- ing aviation research institutes in the country, with projects from helicopters to hypersonics.
Another reason AMCOM chose to partner with Wichita State was that it already had demonstrated its capability with the Navy in creating a digital twin of the FA-18. Royar noted, however, that AMCOM’s approach was slightly different. To make the process go faster and yield benefits sooner, AMCOM also partnered with the manufacturer, Sikorsky, on the project. “Tis is a win-win for both the government and industry,” Royar said.
NIAR is sharing lessons learned from its existing and past efforts, as well as the software and skills to create the twin. It’s also helping AMCOM identify aviation parts that would make good candidates for the advanced manufacturing process, Myers said.
DRIVING FORCE
Maj. Gen. K. Todd Royar, AMCOM commanding general, established the AMCOM Data and Analytics Center to address digital transformation. (Photo by Traci Boutwell, AMCOM)
AMCOM chose the Black Hawk for the project out of practical- ity. “Tat’s what we have the most of in the Army inventory and also in all of the other services,” Myers said. Tere were enough Black Hawks in the field to pull one out of service for the project without adversely affecting Soldiers, she explained.
“Every single bit of data that we receive or create, we’re responsible for creating a structured governance program around that— policy, catalogs, quality, security, etc.,” Myers said. Te center is looking at not only how to fix or improve processes already in place, but also how to lay the foundation for the future.
AMCOM’s UH-60 Black Hawk digital-twin pathfinding proj- ect is a major part of that future foundation.
WHY BLACK HAWKS Te commercial world is ahead of the Army on digital twin and digital thread technology, Myers said, which is one of the biggest challenges she and her team face. “Industry has already started changing their business processes to adapt to new technology, and we need to as well,” she said.
“What we’re truly doing right now is taking an existing helicop- ter apart and then we’re using a hand scanner to scan the part to create 3D models,” Myers said.
To catch up with the power curve, AMCOM has partnered with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research
THE PROCESS Scanning a helicopter is no easy task. First, the helicopter— just the structural shell, with all the electronics and rotor blades removed—had to be brought to the research center. “For this effort we are focusing on the major structural components; we’re not scanning any of the wiring, harnesses, nuts, bolts or the brack- ets. We’re not scanning the transmission.” Myers said, a note of relief in her voice.
Once the helicopter skeleton arrives, Wichita State students and supervising engineers take it apart, piece by piece, scanning each part with a hand-held scanner. Yes, that’s right—even large pieces are being scanned by hand.
“We’re trying to figure out which questions we should ask, which answers do we need—it is truly a pathfinder.”
86 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2021
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