Nondestructive Damage Characterization of Complex Aircraft Structures by Inverse Methods

ABSTRACT: Computational electromagnetics and inverse methods are the foundations of modern methods of eddy-current nondestructive evaluation (NDE). In this project, we apply these methods to the problem of characterizing, in three dimensions, damage in complex aircraft structures. As the maintenance of the structural components of aircraft moves from time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance, there is a need to completely characterize damage in structural components made from such disparate materials as aluminum, titanium and steel alloys, and carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (cfrp), such as graphite-epoxy composites. Further, the structural environments can be quite complex, including compound curvatures and/or multiple layers that are fastened together, with potential damage being located in each of the multiple layers. The methods developed in this project will address all of these issues, and will be applicable to the nuclear power industry, as well as civil infrastructures and materials characterization. BENEFIT: The technology that we develop in this proposal will be applicable to the aerospace, nuclear power, materials characterization, and many other areas, so our research will have commercial benefits that extend far beyond military applications.