Utilizing Aircraft Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems for Maintenance Credit
ARP7122
The processes outlined in this document cover the entire aircraft for both commercial and military applications. In addition to on-board systems, it covers on-ground elements as well. The practical application of this standardized process is detailed in the form of a checklist.
As in all HM-1 documents, the scope of this document covers sensing and acquisition systems, typically on board, data transmission systems and processes, methods and hardware for data analysis, and finally, maintenance actions. The on-board aspects relating to safety of flight, pilot notification, etc., are addressed by the other SAE Committees standards and documents.
To help explain the process and the use of the checklist, some high-level use cases related to maintenance credit applications are included.
Rationale: This document has been written to provide a process to achieve Maintenance Credits (MC) using Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) systems in a consistent way. This will help regulators carry out assessments of the merits of an MC application with a view to provide approval. The E-32 committee on Propulsion Health Management has taken a leading role in this area by publishing ARP5987 that provided guidance on obtaining MCs for propulsion systems. This ARP generalizes that to the entire vehicle.
This document reflects the fact that regulatory approval has been provided to multiple aircraft Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), allowing the use of existing IVHM systems to assist in maintenance procedures. These systems, or the plans for the implementation of such systems, have resulted in the FAA issuing advisory circulars to provide guidance to applicants. This ARP seeks to provide a more prescriptive guidance on how such systems can be approved to obtain MCs so that aftermarket costs can be reduced without risking any loss in aircraft safety.
