SBIR-STTR Award

Recent advances in ultrasonic array technology and the analysis of the associated waves for plate-wave propagation have enabled novel practical applications. In this Phase I SBIR proposal, we will demonstrate that helical ultrasound tomography (HUT) can be applied to assess gun barrel health for large weapons systems. Two transducer array belts wrapped around the gun barrel will launch and receive the complex wave modes that propagate in the gun barrel. Since ultrasonic waves are sensitive to cracks, thinning and distortion, it is anticipated that the information in the waves will enable a health assessment of the gun barrel itself. The measurement can be done in near real-time, and a portable device for field use is feasible. The Phase I effort will investigate the wave propagation and model the array design needed to extract diagnostic information associated with gun barrel damage. Tests will be conducted on representative samples and waveform analysis will be explored to correctly model the propagation parameters. Increasingly realistic samples will be tested to advance the model development and array design. The Phase I effort will provide sufficient information to achieve a preliminary design for an array system for real gun barrels. The application of this technology to gun barrels will also further the potential commercialization of the technique to monitor high-pressure manufacturing process pipes, power plant pipes and other valued advances in the commercial sector.

Helical Ultrasound Tomography (HUT) uses a combination of ultrasonic arrays and expert system software to extract maximum gun barrel condition data from guided waves, including ID erosion, gouging and cracking, and OD cracking. Our systems detected 2% thickness losses and crack growth smaller than 2mm at a 2m distance, and demonstrated it can achieve these results without mechanical scanning in an automated, user independent fashion. The objective of this effort is to build a working field proof-of-concept HUT system, and to determine the limits of detection in real gun barrels. The anticipated result of this effort is a new tool for assessing the condition of the Army's gun inventory in real time, replacing today's statistically based gun retirement protocol with condition-based inventory management. Such a system would extend the lifetime of existing gun barrels, while also allowing the Army to design future combat system (FCS) gun armaments for maximum performance. In the future, HUT could provide a platform for monitoring gun performance-and not just health-by monitoring gun firings, blast-wave pressure, and barrel temperature. Anticipated commercial uses include pipe inspection in the electric power, marine propulsion and petrochemical industries. The Phase II effort will result in a field-tested proof-of-concept system for gun condition monitoring. The application of this technology to Army gun barrels will further the commercialization of this technique to other DOD weapon systems as well as to the monitoring of high-pressure process piping systems; power plant piping in both nuclear and fossil generating stations; underground piping and other valued advances in the commercial sector

Keywords:
cannon, gun-barrel, condition, guided-wave, health, monitoring, real-time, ultrasonic