Aircraft routinely operate in atmospheric environments that, over time, will impact their structural integrity. Material protection\r\nand selection schemes notwithstanding, recurrent exposure to chlorides, pollution, temperature gradients, and moisture provide\r\nthe necessary electrochemical conditions for the development and profusion of corrosion in aircraft structures. For aircraft\r\noperators, this becomes an important safety matter as corrosion found in a given aircraft must be assumed to be present in all\r\nof that type of aircraft. This safety protocol and its associated unscheduled maintenance requirement drive up the operational\r\ncosts of the fleet and limit the availability of the aircraft. Hence, there is an opportunity at present for developing novel sensing\r\ntechnologies and schemes to aid in shifting time-based maintenance schedules towards condition-based maintenance procedures.\r\nIn this work, part of the ongoing development of a multiparameter integrated corrosion sensor is presented. It consists of carbon\r\nnanotube/polyaniline polymer sensors and commercial-off-the-shelf sensors. It is being developed primarily for monitoring\r\nenvironmental and material factors for the purpose of providing a means to more accurately assess the structural integrity of\r\naerospace aluminium alloys through fusion of multiparameter sensor data. Preliminary experimental test results are presented for\r\nchloride ion concentration, hydrogen gas evolution, humidity variations, and material degradation.
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