N093-169 TITLE: Composite Airframe Damage Detection and Evaluation

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-261, H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a Nondestructive Evaluation/Structural Health Monitoring (NDE/SHM) technique to detect structural damage and monitor the airframe and it's components for small incipient damage in inaccessible areas.

DESCRIPTION: NDE of aircraft components typically requires disassembly and slow techniques such as ultrasonic and mechanical impedance inspection methods. A NDE technique is needed that can detect incipient damage in complex geometry components which are assembled, i.e. helicopter main rotor hubs and blades as well as fuselage components. Existing NDE techniques typically consist of a tiny sensor which is only detecting flaws that the sensor passes over as an inspector manually scans the surface or an automated scanner moves the sensor. However when all critical components are assembled to make up an airframe some the load critical components are no longer accessible to perform NDE. What is needed is a method of monitoring the entire structure from just a few sensors which could have the same sensitivity as a scanning NDE system. This technique should perform as a SHM system. The proposed NDE/SHM concept must be able to inspect inaccessible areas rapidly with only a few sensors attached to the component. For in-flight structural health monitoring the entire system must not weight more than one pound.

PHASE I: Develop an approach that demonstrates the ability to detect small incipient damage of aircraft representative parts in inaccessible areas.

PHASE II: Applying the Phase I results, develop and manufacture a prototype system for application on small inaccessible areas for inspections. Demonstrate and validate the effectiveness of the inspection process through testing of representative test specimens and actual CH-53K specific components.

PHASE III: Transition the approach to CH-53K and additional platforms with similar needs of inaccessible area inspection.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology is also applicable to composite airliners and wind turbines that require inaccessible area inspection.

REFERENCES:
1. O. Buck, W.L. Morris, J.N. Richardson. "Acoustic harmonic generation at unbonded interfaces and fatigue cracks". Appl Phys Lett, 33(5), 1978, pp. 371-373.

2. V.A. Antonets, D.M. Donskoy, A.M. Sutin. "Nonlinear vibro-diagnostics of flaws in multilayered structures". Mech Compos Mater, 15, 1986, pp. 934-937.

KEYWORDS: composite; nondestructive evaluation; structural health monitoring; critical components; inaccessible components; incipient damage

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