A SMART NDE TECHNIQUE FOR METALLIC AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

As the existing aircraft fleet ages, concerns over fatigue failure become more urgent. Frequent inspection intervals become necessary as dictated by the worst case aircraft of that make/model. These inspections usually require aircraft teardown which could cause damage itself. Individual aircraft monitoring would elimanate the need for fleet-wide grounding and inspection and allow for a tailored inspection/repair program. The concept proposed consists of tagging the aircraft structure with magnetostrictive particles which would generate signatures based on the loading history of the structure. This concept allows for quick, accurate, easily accessable inspection of the aircraft structure. The individual aircraft's health could be determined in real-time, thereby lowering inspection/repair costs while icreasing operational readiness.