THE LEGEND CONTINUES
the Air Force effort begins in the conceptual design phase and continues through development and late life cycle phases. Te method is most frequently used when developing and managing systems requirements and enables quicker evaluation of alterna- tive concepts, allowing more models to be evaluated for better informed decisions.
“Once the models become physical artifacts, MBSE data and information (are) still used to manage the life cycle of the device, vehicle, etc.,” said Yarbro. “Coupling MBSE with modern data analytics and computing capabilities is viewed by the Air Force as the transformational opportunity of digital engineering, which is part of their digital transformation strategy.”
Introducing digital twins, or virtual models, to the model-based systems engineering acquisition design and development phase further increases the number of models that can be developed and evaluated, ultimately boosting the likelihood of success. Digital twins can also be used throughout the development, production, operations and maintenance phases for accelerated risk assess- ments, predictive maintenance and more.
“Te overall impact from the use of digital twins is improved reliability, availability, performance and productivity and, ulti- mately, better financial decision making,” said Yarbro. Te IT Lab’s “approach to building the ecosystem could be leveraged by a wide-range of MBSE applications to design and build their
models to exchange data, just as was done for the B-52 Commer- cial Engine Replacement Program effort.”
ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS Te ITL team established a digital ecosystem that uses virtual desktop interface and virtual machine capabilities within the SRC to deliver product life cycle management tools and comple- mentary computer-aided design and visualization toolsets in a familiar user interface. Tese resources were then leveraged by the Air Force to further combine and analyze data while develop- ing inputs to high-performance computing resources to conduct intensive, higher-fidelity modeling of prototypes and the effects of those prototypes on the aircraft.
“According to the Air Force, the replacement engine needed to maintain performance, improve fuel efficiency by 20 to 40 percent, work well with the B-52’s unique design, and overcome a variety of additional obstacles,” Yarbro said. “Tey also needed the engines to be compatible with the aircraft’s existing systems and sustain current mission capabilities.”
Engine makers were confident their commercial power plants could meet the requirements for performance but felt it would be difficult to integrate their commercial engines with the B-52 and adapt them for military use. Tat meant the digital engineer- ing platform developed by the IT Lab was critical to providing vital data at the speed required to allow the trade-off analysis and decision-making necessary to achieve the program’s acquisition milestones—and it did just that.
“In the early stages, the effort focused on data but, over time, additional requirements evolved as essential to improving the value and usefulness of the data,” Yarbro said. “Te capability we developed is highly valued by our Air Force partners.” For the IT Lab, “this is a major success story,” he continued. “Te customer
EYES ON ENGINES
Airmen assigned to the 307th Maintenance Squadron inspect the running engines of a B-52 Stratofortress for leaks at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, June 29, 2017. The engine run is one of the final parts of a phase inspection of the bomber, and multiple eyes are needed. (Photo by Master Sgt. Dachelle Melville, U.S. Air Force)
96
Army AL&T Magazine
Fall 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
