Real-Time Gun Barrel Condition Monitoring for the Future Combat System

"Recent advances in ultrasonic array technology and the analysis of the associated waves for plate-wave propagation have enabled novel practical applications. In this Phase I SBIR proposal, we will demonstrate that helical ultrasound tomography (HUT) canbe applied to assess gun barrel health for large weapons systems. Two transducer array belts wrapped around the gun barrel will launch and receive the complex wave modes that propagate in the gun barrel. Since ultrasonic waves are sensitive to cracks,thinning and distortion, it is anticipated that the information in the waves will enable a health assessment of the gun barrel itself. The measurement can be done in near real-time, and a portable device for field use is feasible. The Phase I effort willinvestigate the wave propagation and model the array design needed to extract diagnostic information associated with gun barrel damage. Tests will be conducted on representative samples and waveform analysis will be explored to correctly model thepropagation parameters. Increasingly realistic samples will be tested to advance the model development and array design. The Phase I effort will provide sufficient information to achieve a preliminary design for an array system for real gun barrels. Theapplication of this technology to gun barrels will also further the potential commercialization of the technique to monitor high-pressure manufacturing process pipes, power plant pipes and ot