A Low-Cost Hybrid Ultrasonic-Radio Frequency (RF) Sensor System for Characterization of Composite Materials

X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII) along with Iowa State University (ISU), is developing a low-cost, hybrid ultrasonic-radio frequency (RF) sensor (HURFS) nondestructive evaluation (NDE) system to assess most structural issues while simultaneously providing feedback on the layer thickness and RF properties of composite, non-conductive materials in multi-layer stacks. The HURFS approach combines the ultrasonic technology and RF technology. The enabling technology will allow structural defects and RF anomalies detection and identification, thickness measurement, and RF dielectric property characterization for multi-layer composite stacks. For the Phase I program, XII successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed hybrid ultrasonic-RF sensor system. For the Phase II program, XII will focus on continued development of HURFS prototype with improved hardware and software. For the Phase III program, XII will focus on collaborating with our commercial partners to improve and package the HURFS technology into to a turnkey commercially-available system. Approved for Public Release 14-MDA-7739 (18 March 14).