A QUT PhD student today became the first woman to win a prestigious Aerospace Australia Limited industry Innovation Award for her work on a project to improve the safety of aircraft and reduce maintenance costs.
Vanessa Lussini from QUT's School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering was awarded the 2015 $10,000 Young Innovator Scholarship for Defence Industry today at Avalon 2015: The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & defence Exposition.
Ms Lussini's project, being conducted for the Defence Materials Technology Centre, is focussed on using organic compounds to develop sensors to alert maintenance crews when sections of an aircraft need repainting before mechanical strain, direct sunlight, varying temperatures, water, salt and other pressures cause dangerous corrosion resulting in potentially catastrophic failure.
"Corrosion is like a cancer to metal and paint acts like a sunscreen which needs to be re-applied before the structural integrity of an aircraft is compromised," said Ms Lussini who was at Avalon to accept her award.
"It's critical to know when to repaint an aircraft but we can also paint them too often simply because they are scheduled to be done and every new coat adds weight.
"Often only certain sections need to be painted because they are more exposed and degrade faster. Or one plane is used every day and another sits in a hangar for long periods.
"Free radical oxidative degradation is the main route to coating failure and my project aims to create new, more resilient sensors detect deterioration. A group of compounds called profluorescent nitroxides have been shown to be effective free radical sensors, utilising a fluorescent emission to monitor the chemical character of the protective outer coating of aircraft.
"Longer lasting sensors that can cope with harsh environmental conditions will make it easier to monitor and maintain aircraft coatings.
"The reapplication of these coatings is costly so utilising condition based monitoring over basic periodic maintenance can maximise the potential lifetime of the product, optimise maintenance schedules and reduce costs."
Ms Lussini said while her research was focussed on the defence and aviation industries it could be equally applicable to other structures such as bridges.
The Aviation Innovation Awards recognise local companies and individuals at the forefront of aerospace innovation.
"Winning an Aviation Innovation Award is an incredible boost and will hopefully be a great help when I am looking for employment once my thesis is completed in the next few months," Ms Lussini said.
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