Integration of Signal Analysis Suite and Field-Portable Matrix Laser Doppler Vibrometer (MXLDV) for Composite NDE

This proposal seeks to produce a unique instrument for flight-line NDE and defect detection in aerospace composite structures based on integration of a new high speed laser Doppler imaging vibrometer with an automated software data processing suite. The principle of the method and technical feasibility of the proposed instrument has already been established with solutions to the major technical hurdles having been demonstrated. This proposal lays out a path to practical implementation of a field instrument employing a customized detector/processor unit running dedicated data processing and defect image extraction algorithms developed under this program. The Matrix Laser Doppler Vibrometer (MXLDV) employs a 2D fiber-optic LDV array which enables high speed image capture of any arbitrary surface vibration distribution including steady state (modal), random or transient vibrations. This feature of the MXLDV is unparalleled by existing optical methods such as scanning laser Doppler vibrometry (SLDV), electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) or shearography, which have all been proposed and investigated for this application. As a unique technology, MXLDV offers the prospect of a practical field instrument for composite NDE and defect detection which is many times faster than SLDV and many times more sensitive than ESPI or shearography.