Hand-Held Nondestructive Inspection (NDI) Scanner for Composite Missile Systems

In order to inspect and assess the structural integrity of highly curved composite structures, as those being introduced on the new generation of missile systems, a hand-help inspection tool is being proposed. This device will use a flexible ultrasonic array that can conform to the missile topologies and perform the inspection without couplant. Novel additive manufacturing technologies would be used to produce a light and compact device. Images of the inspected area would be available in near real time to facilitate damage assessment and can be displayed using conventional LCDs or a heads-up device. The hand-held could be used to rapidly inspect both flat and curved surfaces not only on missiles but also on rotor blades, leading edges and even composite pipeline structures.