Aircraft Composite Component Inspection System

MetroLaser, Inc. has demonstrated during Phase I feasibility studies the ability to detect and quantify sub-surface flaws such as disbonds and delaminations in composite aircraft materials. This demonstration employed Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) inconjunction with acoustic excitation of the composite surface. Its operational principle is predicated on the observation that changes in the surface vibrational pattern of the test subject reveal underlying structural defects within the material bulk.Measurement and analysis of the surface velocity spectrum therefore serves to detect the presence of subsurface material irregularities associated with disbonds and delaminations. To facilitate an evaluation of structural integrity in large-scalecomponents and complex mechanical systems, MetroLaser, Inc. proposes a Multiple-Beam LDV (MB-LDV) instrument capable of simultaneously measuring the surface vibrational pattern at multiple beam locations. This instrument would substantially increaseinspection rates and provide a framework for the practical implementation of a portable, field-ready instrument that addresses inherent limitations in current scanning LDV systems. Phase II will consist of the design, analysis, construction, and fielddeployment of a prototype MB-LDV diagnostic instrument for aircraft composite inspection.