Accurate Damage Location and Identification in Composite Structures with Portable Unit

In order to overcome the limitations of conventional rigorous time-consuming, off-line NDE for large area structures, Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS), in collaboration with Professor Ajit Mal of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the UCLA School of Engineering, proposes in this Phase II to develop a novel diagnostic/prognostic ultrasound imaging system for determining the location and degree of structural damage in composite aircraft materials. Feasibility of ultrasound based imaging of damage on test composite-aluminum honeycomb structures with temporarily mounted, non-invasive transducers was successfully demonstrated in Phase I. The ultrasound data was analyzed and UCLA’s damage detection models were validated. The Phase-II in situ damage detection and identification system will integrate damage data from fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor receivers with UCLA’s autonomous data analysis and identification system, and develop a field usable, roll-away portable system. At the end of Phase II, IOS will deliver: i) a re-mountable and removable imaging transducer array, ii) a hardware system for read-out of the array, iii) a software interface for analysis and display of the data acquired showing damage areas, and iv) a prototype demonstration of the entire system at Robins Air Force Base.