ON GUARD FOR DEFECTS. JUST TO BE SAFE.

The benefits of using a composite material —lighter, robust, with better protection against fatigue, impact, and
corrosion— in aerospace structures makes the decision easy for manufacturers. Yet carbon or plastic fiber reinforced plastic present unique challenges for inspectors. The extremely thin material makes near surface resolution critical, but at times difficult to accurately complete. Moreover, composite material is not suitable for deploying magnetic-type scanners. Add the varying geometries that make up an aircraft, and it’s no wonder the industry has faced uncertainty in quality assurance, especially with a lack of common inspection practices...

Composite material inspection is a key aspect to helping inform maintenance, repair, and overhaul work needed. Given that these assets are under pressure from harsh operating conditions, extreme temperature variations, and continuous use, NDT must be performed throughout a  spacecraft or aircraft's lifecycle to prevent critical failure and ensure safe operations. Traditional eddy current testing is already widely used in the aerospace industry for inspecting bolt holes and fasteners in the aircraft fuselage. Volumetric NDT in the form of ultrasonic testing has been widely implemented to address multiple applications, while technology like phased array ultrasonic testing, total focusing method, or eddy current array testing are stepping up, proving to be faster, more efficient, and less costly alternatives. 

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Increased manufacturing costs and labour-intensive techniques have created a demand for not only cost-efficient inspection methods but also reliable and faster inspection speeds, that help bring down overall costs while offering a higher probability of defect detection. Automating what is currently manual NDT facilitates earlier damage detection and a deeper analysis of damage growth – quicker and cheaper.

The inspection of composite structures like CFRP can be complex and challenging. Misalignments between probe and surface can frequently occur, significantly affecting data quality. The “Time Reversal” technique available on our TOPAZ® instruments is a promising and proven application of phased array ultrasonic technology for the inspection of composite structures after manufacturing. It consists of a real-time adaptation of the sound beam characteristics, to compensate for varying probe-to-component misalignment conditions.