A Practical HTS SQUID Magnetometry System for NDI of Aircraft

Recent, unpublished advances in SQUID magnetometry by the Proposers have removed the obstacles currently preventing practical use of the HTS SQUIDs, namely the need for HTS pickup coils and the unfeasibility of unshielded operation of HTS SQUIDs in high noise environments. As a result, a portable, compact HTS SQUID magnetometer system for NDI of subsurface structural defects in the metallic skin of aircraft is now possible. The system will be cooled by a small-scale cryocooler which will allow it to be oriented in any direction. In Phase I, Quantum Magnetics, in collaboration with the University of Maryland and IBM Research, will design an HTS SQUID magnetometry system specifically for aircraft NDI. The specifications to be met will be determined in consultation with the Air Force Logistics Command, the Air Force NDI Program Office, McDonnell-Douglass, Hercules Aerospace and other government and commercial organizations, as appropriate. In Phase II, the system will be built and tested on standard defect structures and on Air Force equipment.