Masters Thesis

A portable, compact data acquisition system for wide-bodied passenger aircraft

This paper describes the development of a portable data acquisition system for recording dynamic data from wide-bodied passenger aircraft. Aircraft flight testing background leading to the requirements for the system is reviewed. The general system design is presented, as well as design details. Finally, the results of laboratory and flight test usage, and procedures for applying the system in acoustic and vibration tests, are presented. The system was built into a portable, wheeled cart for ease in loading and handling aboard the aircraft. It was designed to operate on a variety of electrical power available on the aircraft or in the laboratory, and to operate on batteries in the event no power is available. It is capable of recording on magnetic tape a random mixture of signals on a variety of transducers, preamplifiers, and either sources, with a minimum of customary signal conditioners and amplifiers. Laboratory and flight tests have proven the system to be satisfactory in frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio characteristics, and in its ability to record useful dynamic data.

Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.