Our small company is engaged in R&D in the field of surface-adaptive ultrasound (SAUL), which has been developed specifically for inspection of aerospace composites with complex shapes and small radii. In addition to shape, SAUL compensates for probe misalignment and ply drop-off. SAUL is a phased-array technique that has recently been qualified for a wide array of small complex parts for a fully automated inspection in an aerospace production facility. The research components for the Air Force (AF) SBIR include demonstrating whether the technique can be made to work for the demanding geometry and range of defects of interest to the Air Force, and whether the method can be implemented in a fully portable system suitable for pre-service and in-service field inspections.
Benefits: Demonstrated technical feasibility of surface-adaptive ultrasound for inspection of complex composite parts. Realistic test specimens with independently verified defects. Quantification of detection and sizing accuracy.
Keywords: complex composites, surface adaptive ultrasound, phased array, matrix probe, realtime beam compensation, aerospace nondestructive testing and evaluation,
