Nondestructive Inspection/Evaluation (NDI/E) Probe & Aircraft Structure Coordinate Mapping

USAF is initiating development programs for tools (hardware and software) capable of tracking portable and handheld NDI/E equipment, such as ultrasonic transducers, eddy current pencil probes, bolt-hole probes, etc. Therefore, it is becoming possible to track aircraft inspections as they are performed and data is acquired to ensure proper inspection procedures are followed, and enabling coordinated NDI/E inspection/geometric data storage and transmittal in support of the Digital Thread. In this Phase I effort, TRI Austin proposes leveraging existing in-house EVi NDI/E bolt hole eddy current datasets to demonstrate algorithmic mapping to locate, correlate, integrate and visualize NDI/E data onto various geometries with reporting that will address both rectilinear and curved surfaces. Additional EVi surface scan eddy current datasets will be collected by TRI Austin’s Level III ASNT NDI inspector. Inspection targets for the additional NDI/E datasets will be drawn from TRI Austin’s extensive in-house specimen library. Spatial locations will be assumed for the inspection tools and transformed to pseudo-aircraft coordinates as part of a demonstration upon completion of the effort.