Techno-Sciences, Inc. (TSI), in collaboration with the Smart Structures Laboratory of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland (UMD), was awarded a Phase I Air Force STTR contract today to develop an innovative damage detection methodology based on high frequency structural wave dynamics and Hilbert-Huang Transforms. This system leverages Techno-Sciences' expert capabilities in structural health monitoring which has been successfully applied to commercial rotorcraft such as the Bell 407 and other flight structures for the United States Army. According to project leader, Dr. Ashish Purekar, the TSi damage detection system will enhance preventive-based maintenance routines by alerting operators of compromised structural integrity and vehicle safety. If a monitoring aircraft were to enter an operational regime which overstresses a critical component, the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of the TSi system would provide warnings to avoid catastrophic failure. Other benefits of the TSi system include increased vehicle availability by enabling condition-based maintenance procedures, reduction of vehicle inspection costs, and monitoring of accumulated fatigue life