LASER OPTICAL INSPECTION TECHNIQUES FOR SOLID ROCKET MOTORS

QUEST Integrated, Inc. proposes the development of a laser-based inspection instrument for the assessment of the condition of solid propellant in a solid rocket motor. The device will consist of an intrinsically safe, noncontacting rotating head that will employ laser triangulation techniques to accurately map the inner surface of the propellant grain. Use of this device will enable the monitoring of propellant grain shape as a function of time and will permit the assessment of aging effects due to cracking, slumping, adsorption and other deleterious effects. In Phase I we will develop a conceptual design of the laser triangulation system and explore the possibility of evaluating other measures of surface condition such as surface roughness, surface reflectivity and chemical composition.