A Low-Cost Hybrid Ultrasonic-RF Sensor System for Characterization of Composite Materials

To address the need of MDA for a NDE system for simultaneously providing feedback on the thickness and RF properties of composite, non-conductive materials in multi-layer stacks, X-wave Innovations, Inc. (XII) along with Iowa State University (ISU), proposes a low-cost, hybrid ultrasonic-RF sensor (HURFS) system. The proposed HURFS approach is based on the XII-developed ultrasonic technology and ISU-developed resonant frequency technology. The enabling technology will allow the thickness and defects in multi-layer composite structures to be detected and the RF material properties of the individual layers to be identified. For the Phase I program, XII will prototype a HURFS system and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed hybrid ultrasonic-RF sensor system. For the Phase II program, XII will focus on continued development of the improved hardware and software and re-package the design into an final prototype HURFS system that meets the specifications set forth by MDA. 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.