Navigating the Future: Smart Aerospace Vehicles

The advancement of the next generation of aerospace vehicles, ranging from electrical aircraft to space launchers, requires an enhanced safety and efficiency vital for both their design and operation. For instance, the main concern of urban air vehicles is the safety of flight above residential areas.
 
The integration of permanent sensors within the structure, facilitates real time remote monitoring of their health as well as their operation, which is the aim of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). A SHM system enables cognitive abilities to monitor, adapt, and respond to real-time operational challenges, which can facilitate the adoption of novel and sustainable vehicle design.
 
Zahra Sharif Khodaei is Professor in Aerospace Structural Durability & Health Monitoring at Imperial College London where she has worked on the integration of remote non-contact SHM system within the design, manufacturing and operation of air vehicles, focusing on the paradigm shift towards smart and intelligent aerospace structures  In her inaugural lecture, Zahra will demonstrate the implementation of condition-based maintenance and health management for smart structures, utilising sensor data alongside advanced computational models, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cutting-edge sensor technologies. These elements play a crucial role in the integration of intelligent systems with Structural Health Monitoring.