Automated Whole Body OML (Outer Mold Line) Defect Assessment

Inspection of aircraft outer mold line (OML) and structural defects are currently inspected visually, and position of defects is transferred manually to aircraft maintenance repair systems using transparent sheets. This method is labor intensive, requiring large maintenance man hours, and is prone to errors. To streamline this process, an automated whole-body inspection system based on several optical technologies is proposed that drastically reduces inspection time, provides accurate detection and positioning of defects, and provides a digital map of the location of defects that can be transferred to maintenance repair systems for easily locating defects for repair. During Phase I, the feasibility of the proposed approach will be demonstrated using a combination of theory and experiments. Samples with representative defects will be prepared and tested to demonstrate the ability and effectiveness of the proposed approach.