Research Projects

This project seeks to advance aviation safety by identifying historical valve sticking incidents within piston aircraft engines through the analysis of sensor data, thereby contributing to enhanced maintenance practices and operational reliability. 

Valve sticking — resulting from factors such as deposits, corrosion, or mechanical wear—may compromise engine functionality or precipitate abrupt failures, frequently eluding conventional inspection protocols. Such undetected anomalies pose risks to safety, elevate operational expenditures, and disrupt flight continuity. To address this challenge, the researchers will examine an extensive dataset comprising more than 3,000 hours of flight records from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses. From this analysis, the principal objective is to develop an accessible analytical tool capable of delineating the occurrence of valve sticking incidents within historical data, thereby furnishing maintenance personnel with actionable insights into engine performance deficiencies. This tool will refine maintenance protocols, minimize superfluous interventions, and bolster aircraft safety while optimizing operational uptime.