NDT-NDE FOR MAINTENANCE OF STUCTURAL PARTS IMPROVMENT OF SPEED AND RELIABILITY

Objective

Most developments with the exception of one or two have found practical applications within the end-users, either in production or maintenance. Exploitation procedures based on signal and image processing developments and on some innovative devices (Eddy Mouse) have already been introduced. For the final meeting in Paris most of the developments were set up for a comprehensive demonstration. All the demonstrations were successful in presenting a high degree of achievements. Industrial applications are numerous. Shearography is a strong contender for the inspection of sandwich structures, and with further developments its scope of applications can be largely extended. Ultrasonic inspection should benefit from powerful expertise tools as well as enlarging its field of applications with the innovative aircoupled transducers. Reliability, speed and precision for fatigue crack and corrosion detection and sizing should be the main benefits of the improvements and developments made in Eddy Current.
The increasing use of composite materials has brought new problems for maintenance such as random impacts damages which come on top of those related to metallic materials such as corrosion and fatigue cracks.

Within this project it is intended to develop new Non Destructive Testing methods such as shearography and air coupled scanning ultrasounds and to improve current one's such as eddy current and conventional ultrasonic inspection for improvement of speed and reliability of inspection.

The proposed project will combine activities from research, industry and engineering software consultant to achieve the different tasks :

- development of a real time phase stepped shearography system with advanced camera design, image processing and investigation of different loading systems (thermal, vacuum, vibrational)

- development of airborne ultrasonic scanning

- improve defect characterization through application of advanced signal processing and the development of a random phase transducer

- improve data storage

Eddy current methods will be upgraded with new methods of excitation and analysis. Artificial Intelligence will be evaluated and equipment characterization is strongly considered.

Precompetitive prototypes for each of the NDT methods involved will be provided with specification for industrial transfer.

Programme(s)

• FP3-BRITE/EURAM 2 - Specific programme (EEC) of research and technological development in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

• 2.1.3 - Maintainability and reliability

Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (12)