MIXED NDE TRANSDUCERS

THERE IS A NEED FOR RAPID, ACCURATE, COST-EFFECTIVE NON-DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION (NDE) OF REUSABLE FLIGHT HARDWARE COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS AFTER EACH USE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE REACHED THE END OF THEIR USEFUL (SAFE,RELIABLE) LIFE. FLAWS AND DEFECTS WHICH INFLUENCE THIS LIFE INCLUDE CRACKS, DELAMINATIONS, VOIDS, DENSITY VARIATIONS AND ENTRAPPED MOISTURE. A VARIETY OF NDE TECHNIQUES ARE REQUIRED TO DETECT THESE DEFECTS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED, TO RADIOGRAPHY, ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS, EDDY CURRENTS AND INTERFEROMETRY. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A COMPUTER SOFTWARE PACKAGE WHICH RECEIVES THE SIGNALS FROM SEVERAL NDE TRANSDUCERS OF DIFFERENT TYPE AND THEN INTEGRATES THESE SIGNALS TO MAXIMIZE THE INFORMATION FOR A GIVEN DEFECT. THE ABILITY TO COMBINE DIFFERENT TYPES OF NDE INFORMATION WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEFECT.