A_T_I_2015_04_

z Automating NDT

52 |^

APRIL 2015

AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM

positioning and recording, and simplify

system automation. Relevant information

will be extracted automatically by

image processing and data fusion to

support structural test follow-up.

DIAAMOND forms part of the

Green Regional Aircraft platform.

Under another Clean Sky initiative,

Sustainable and Green Engines (SAGE),

the €500,000 WELDMINDT project is

looking at open rotor engine welded

parts inspection using miniaturizable

non-destructive techniques.

The SAGE 2 project focuses on a

geared open rotor engine, which will

feature rotating turbine frames.

Because the frames are regarded as

engine-critical components, they

require extremely reliable design,

manufacturing and inspection methods,

and maintenance and overhaul

procedures. NDT methods in particular

need to be robust and accurate.

Welded joints are currently

examined using techniques such as

visual inspection, fluorescent penetrant

inspection (FPI) and radiography.

WELDMINDT aims to improve both

detectability and NDT accessibility in

interior semi-closed design elements

such as hollow vanes and torsion

boxes. It will mean developing non-

contact techniques such as optical,

infrared camera and others, with the

potential for miniaturization and

characterizing their capability.

Coordinated in Spain by Lortek, the

project aims to integrate shearography,

infrared thermography and ultrasonic

inspection into a single inspection

system, using a laser as the sole

excitation source. The combination

this reason, the pan-European Clean
Sky research program that is pursuing
dramatic reductions in the
environmental impact of air transport
includes work on NDT automation.
In Spain, Tecnatom and the Center
for Advanced Aerospace Technology
(CATEC) in Seville are collaborating
on the €475,000 DIAAMOND
(Development of Non-destructive
Inspection Approaches for Automatic
detection and Monitoring of Damage
evolution) project. The aim is to develop
new approaches to inspection and
automated systems for the detection
and online recording of CFRP damage
during structural tests. The approach
would shorten total test time and reduce
the requirement for human presence,
particularly for tests running
continuously around the clock.
The resulting demonstrator will
perform data acquisition and analysis
automatically and transfer results to the
structural test control system in real time.
As well as avoiding the need for human
intervention, the objectives are to reduce
inspection time, improve inspection
quality by providing NDT data

INSPECTING COMPLEX GEOMETRY

The prototype system developed by TWI

Technology Centre in the UK was designed to

be able to inspect all areas of a 3 x 1 x 1m

volume. The resulting 5 x 5m robotic cell

houses two KUKA KR16 L6-2 robots capable

of streaming positional data at high speed and

working both independently and cooperatively.

The six-axis robotic arms can carry a 6kg

payload, have a maximum reach of 1,911mm

and position repeatability better than plus or

minus 0.05mm. The end-effector on each arm

carries a water jet nozzle fed with water at up

to 20 liters/min. Multiple nozzles, produced by

3D printing, have been designed to support

both flat and concave ultrasonic phased-array

probes and generate suitable coupling with

high curvature surfaces. A jig table 1.5m wide

and 2.5m long mounted on the draining tray

between the robots enables accurate

positioning of the item under inspection.

Two Peak-NDT Micropulse 5PA phased-

array ultrasonic-transducer systems provide

128/128 active channels individually or

256/256 channels when connected together.

BELOW: IntACom

uses curved arrays

to inspect internal

and external radii

in a single pass

FAR RIGHT:
Ultrasonic quality
control of CFRP
fuselage shells for
the Airbus A350 at
the Nordenham
plant of Premium
Aerotec

RIGHT: IntACom
prototype robotic
inspection cell at
the TWI Technology
Centre in Wales