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ANANDAN DEEPAK SARAVANAN Z3333870 AEROSPACE STRUCTURES AER3410 DETAILED RESEARCH PROPOSAL

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NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL ON AIRCRAFT USING SONIC THERMOGRAPHY

KEYWORDS
Sonic Thermography Non-Destructive Testing Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer(CFRP) Aging Fatigue

PROPOSAL ABSTRACT This study will look at the possibility of using sonic thermography as a form of non-destructive testing (NDT) of composite materials on aircraft. Inspection of aircraft parts for signs of aging is the easiest way to prevent any cracks from forming and thereby protecting the structural integrity of the aircraft. This is of utmost importance as crack formation can lead to catastrophic results that can lead to fatal disasters. AIMS AND BACKGROUND The main aim of the project would be to look at non-destructive methods of inspection of composite materials in commercial and military aircraft. The method that would be researched in detail would entail the use of sonic thermography i.e., use of sonic pulses to excite the material to be studied and capture the thermal difference across it with the help of thermal imaging equipment. There has been considerable progress in the field of thermography over the past decade especially in medical imaging and therefore the technology is readily available. Sonic thermography is carried out by applying sonic pulses through the material to be tested. This is done by using a pulse inducer such as a horn. The sonic waves or pulses from the horn travel through the composite and excite it. This excitation brings about a uniform increase in thermal energy throughout the composite. However at sights of defects or delamination, the voids present will not have the same thermal properties as the composite and hence will have a different thermal signature. This difference in thermal energy can be easily recorded with the help of thermal imaging cameras and can used to point out areas of weakness. There has been some research on the use of sonic thermography as a method of non-destructive testing for material. These include the study carried out by Ksoi and Rajic(2004) wherein they studied the effect that sonic thermography had on fatigue crack growth in an aluminium alloy. Their results showed that sonic thermography did not induce further crack growth in the specimen and that this method was suitable for Al alloys, the methodology used in this report is derived from the methodology used to examine the Al alloy. These studies have looked at the effects of the sonic pulses on the material being tested or the feasibility of using this method for inspecting crack propagation Mayr et al(2011) studied the effect that the level of porosity in the carbon fibres had on the thermal diffusivity of the CFRP. Results from this research shows that the thermal absorption properties of CFRP, though dependent on the size and the shapes of the pores in the fibres, did not vary greatly. Results from this study show that sonic thermography can be used on CFRP without there being any thermal data loss due to the porosity of the carbon fibres. Zalmeda et al(2007) from the NASA Langley research centre studied the use of air coupled sonic thermography as a means for NDT. The results showed that sonic pulses emitted from four compression horn driver loudspeakers produced enough of a thermal imprint on the test specimen that it could be recorded with the help of thermal imaging cameras. This study shows that the sonic pulses that are emitted by the horns carry enough energy to be dissipated into the material system. The above studies show that sonic thermography is an established method of finding defects in materials. This study proposes to further the available knowledge of sonic thermography especially in its use as NDT method for aircraft components.

RESEARCH PROJECT The main objective of this study would be to come up with a way to thoroughly check composite materials on aircraft. Aircraft undergo fatigue due to the cyclic loading and unloading, therefore constant inspection of aircraft is mandatory. The fact that composite components are hard to manufacture and are relatively more expensive than their metal counterparts means that they need to be constantly checked, however composites are hard to inspect by conventional methods such as visual and ultrasonic testing. It is this shortcoming of other testing methods that leads to the study of sonic thermography and its application in NDT of composites. Aging materials are a serious threat to the structural integrity of aircraft, as they can be points of stress accumulation or even act as starting points for crack propagation. Given the fact that most military aircraft already have most of their structural components made out of composites and that new age commercial aircraft ,such as the Boeing Dreamliner[1] and the Airbus A380, incorporate more composite material in their design it is paramount that there be an efficient and accurate way to inspect these materials for signs of fatigue. EXPECTED OUTCOMES The expected outcome, from this study, would be a newer technique in inspecting composite materials on aircraft. The study will try to find a better understanding of the way aircraft composites react to induced sonic vibrations and how this behaviour can be utilised to scan for defects or faults in the material. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP The composite material that will be studied will be carbon fibre reinforced polymer (cfrp); this material is widely used in the manufacture of aircraft today. This composite consists of carbon fibre matrix that is filled with an epoxy resin. The process of studying the composite would start with testing a flat plate of the composite and subjected to pulse ranges from 20 khz to 50 khz [2] and recording the thermal imaging results, this would act as the control. Any material change that is induced in the control, by the sonic pulses, can be subtracted from the results of other specimens that will be tested. The acoustic horn used in this investigation is a commercial hand held plastic welding unit. The transfer of acoustic energy to the test specimen can be improved by having a suitable material in between. It has been shown that felt is a good transmitter of acoustic energy to the specimen [2]. Infrared imagery can be acquired using a Flir thermacam pm695.this uncooled 320x240 pixel camera has a thermal sensitivity of 80 mk in a spectral range of 812 mm and a frame rate of 25hz. [3] The setup will be as shown in figure 1; the specimens tested will be of similar geometry with thickness ranging from 1.5mm, 3.0mm, 5.0mm and 6mm.

Figure 1: The setup of the testing apparatus 210mm

70mm

0.2xthickness Figure 2: Test specimens with the notch The specimens, other than the control will have a notch as shown in Figure 2. This notch will depict a defect due to fatigue. The sonic pulses from the horn should be able to excite the composite material and it is this excitation that will lead to thermal differences between the uniform structure of the composite and the irregularity of the notch(Figure 3). The accuracy of the results (the presence of the defect in the thermal image) from the scan should indicate if sonic thermography is suited to composite material. The depth range (defined as the maximum depth where a boundary can be detected by thermal imaging) is given by Where = thermal diffusivity and = modulation frequency [4].

Figure 3: Heat generation at notch due to effect of sonic pulse

The previous test was for defects/voids that are present on the surface of the material; however in actuality the void may be present inside the composite. This can occur where two surfaces interact; this scenario can be tested with having a sandwich of the CFRP with one of the sides having a notch as shown in Figure 4 along the mating face. The testing is carried out as before and the results recorded.

Figure 4: A CFRP sandwich to mimic an internal defect

PROJECT FRAMEWORK The overall testing phase would take no longer than 2 weeks given the fact that the tests will have to be repeated to make sure there arent any anomalies that affects the test results. The duration of the testing phase will also be determined by the composites that are being tested. As there are many different types of composites available, the testing phase would be considerably longer if more composites were tested. The testing phase is the first phase in the study, once the testing has been completed the data that is gathered can be utilised to design a sonic thermograph that can be utilised in the industry. This design will take into account industrial requirements such as portability, cost and reliability of such inspection machines. It is during the design phase that testing will be re-run to find how different frequencies and types of sonic pulses can be used to produce more accurate readings. The overall designing and perfection of the system would take more than 6 months. It is during this time that the instrument will be modified to cope with different geometries of the composite that will be encountered in operation. Once the design phase is completed, the next phase is the

production phase. All the data that has been collected in the testing and design phase will now be put to use to create a sonic thermograph fit for industrial use. The first prototype thats produced will then be tested in a real life environment to validate the use of such an instrument. The overall timeline of the project is summarised in Table 1 below. Objective Create test specimens and setup the experiment Run the experiment on the first batch of the CFRP specimens Analyse data for any discrepancies or anomalies and rerun tests if required Preliminary design phase Primary design of the instrument Refinement of design Production of first prototype Table 1: Proposed timeline of project Time taken for objective 5 days 1 week 1 week 3 weeks 6 months 2 weeks 1 month Running total 12 days 19 days 40 days 220 days 234 days 264 days

The information that will be gathered throughout the testing phase can be used to further the available knowledge of how composite materials can be tested for defects. The development of new technology in NDT of composites would be a valuable resource in the airline industry. Due to the fact that new age aircraft are moving towards composites for a majority of the structure. Therefore inspection routines and methods will be updated and the information/technology that is gathered from this project will be advantageous to the industry. This new method of testing will replace the existing methods, such as ultrasonic and X-ray testing, which suffer from shortcomings such as the limited field of view for the transducer in ultrasonic testing [5]. Composites are also being used in more complex shapes throughout aircraft, this means that the conventional methods available are not able effectively detect defects in the structure. It is this incompatibility between modern composite structures and traditional NDT methods that warrants this project, which would lead to the creation of a more accurate and quicker method of inspection. FEASIBILITY The feasibility of the project will be primarily determined by the design of the sonic thermograph instrument. The laboratory setup is quite static therefore to adapt this technique to the inspection routine of aircraft would mean that the whole system would have to be made so that it is easy to move across the aircraft. This design consideration would mean that the instrument as described in the lab setup will be changed to accommodate manoeuvrability systems required. These additional sub-systems and how they work together with the instrument would define the ease of use of the sonic thermography technique. From a design point of view this will take up a large proportion of the design time. However the design refinement in accordance to these considerations makes sure that the technical output from the project will be of high quality and can be easily assimilated into prevailing inspection routines. The proposed project does require financial input to procure the sonic thermograph instrument however the technology for the lab setup is readily available. Therefore the budget during the testing and design phase will be minimal. The budget for the pre design phase would be dependent on the research capabilities available and the salaries of the researchers. The budget of the project will have to be reviewed once the design phase is near completion as the production value will depend on the design of the final instrument. Again due to the fact the technology is already present and the project does not entail the use of exotic production methods or materials, the overall budget should be within acceptable levels. The budget for the study can also be reduced by tying up with an industrial partner. The industrial partner can help the research team by supplying information, and material, on the types and shapes of composites used. The partner can benefit from being able to hold exclusive rights of the developed inspection technique. This reduces the cost of research and makes sure that the developed technique is introduced into the industry. In terms of time scale, the project from start of testing to end of prototype production should not exceed 10 months. This is an acceptable time scale that can be easily adhered to. The time post final design evaluation can be utilised to re-skill inspection workers to the new inspection routines as well as making them aware of the capabilities of the new sonic thermograph technique. As can be seen the project is feasible both in terms of budget and time.

IMPACT OF RESEARCH The main reason why NDT is important is because it is the first line of protection for aircraft from aging. Aging of aircraft materials is of utmost importance, as worn or damaged parts can act as sites for crack nucleation and propagation which can in turn lead to catastrophic failure of these parts. Economic considerations force aircraft to be in service and perform effectively for longer. Hence long term sustainability of a fleet is paramount to an airline. However the prolonged life of aircraft means that they are more prone to fatigue and have to be thoroughly inspected regularly. [6] This is when NDT is carried out across the aircraft to look for signs of fatigue such as cracks. Many present day NDT techniques work well for metals however when it comes to composites there hasnt been a proven NDT method. It is believed that this research will help to produce a new method in testing composites in aircraft. This method can work independently of other NDT systems and hence its inclusion in an airlines inspection routine can be carried out seamlessly and efficiently. The overall goal of the research is to come up with a proven and cost effective way of scanning composite materials on aircraft. The new NDT technique that results from this study will be a major step forward in the study of composite materials on aircraft. The fact that manufacturers are moving towards composites as the primary materials for structural components means that there has to be new and improved methods of detecting flaws in these materials. This is directly related to the safety of passengers and crew that fly on aircraft. Even the slightest cracks can eventually lead to deadly disasters that can be prevented with the help of new age technology such as sonic thermography. Other than the obvious safety reasons for constant inspection and maintenance, another reason is cost. The composites on aircraft are difficult to produce and are very expensive. Therefore a good inspection plan for these materials will make sure that they can be fixed even at the slightest signs of fatigue or wear. This directly saves the operator the costs of having to perform expensive replacements which would have occurred otherwise. The implementation of this method will make sure that aircraft are airworthy and will minimise the possibilities of catastrophic failures.

REFERENCES 1. Hale,J 2006, Boeing 787 from the Ground Up,Boeing Aero, 4th Quarter pp17-18. 2. Tsoi. K.A. and Rajic, N., (2004), Effect of Sonic Thermographic Inspection on Fatigue Crack Growth in an Al Alloy. DSTO technical note. 3. Mayr,G,Plank,B, Sekelja, J &Hendorfer, G 2011, Active thermography as a quantitative method for nondestructive evaluation of porous carbon fiber reinforced polymers,NDT&E International,vol 44, pp537-539. 4. Riegert, G, Pfleiderer,K, Gerhard,H ,Solodov, I, Busse, G 2006, Modern Methods of NDT for Inspection of Aerospace Structures, Proceedings of the ninth European Conference on NDT, Berlin, 25-29 September. 5. Cawley, P 2006, Inspection of Composites Current Status and Challenges, Proceedings of the ninth European Conference on NDT, Berlin, 25-29 September. 6. Linoln,J 2000, Material and Process Technology Transition to Aging Airraft, Paper presented at the RTO AVT Lecture Series on Aging Aircraft Fleets: Structural and Other Subsystem Aspects, Bulgaria, 13-16 November 7. Shepard, S, Ahmed, T & Lhota, J 2004, Experimental Considerations in Vibrothermography, Paper presented at SPIE Thermosense, Orlando, 12-16April 8. Favro, L, Han, X, Ouyang, Z, Sun, G, Sui, H & Thomas, R 2000, Infrared imaging of defects heated by a sonic pulse, Review of Scientific Instruments, vol 71, Number 6. 9. Zalameda,J Winfree,W & Yost, W 2007, AIR COUPLED ACOUSTIC THERMOGRAPHY (ACAT) INSPECTION TECHNIQUE, NASA Langley Research Center, viewed 29 May 2012, < http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070035909_2007036063.pdf>