Advanced diagnostics of aircraft structures using automated non-invasive imaging techniques

需要更高效、更可靠的损坏检查，在不影响乘客和货物运输安全的情况下减少维护时间和成本。这项研究的最终目标是提供一种自动化的创新损伤评估工具，通过对各种先进成像技术(如超声波、红外、视觉等)的新型优化融合，能够检测和表征金属或复合材料结构的损伤。研究的各自科学成果是：1.提供新的方法来评估运输部门使用的材料的损伤，识别尺寸与深度比小于1.5的表面和内部不连续，并检测缺陷的大小、类型和深度。开发创新的图像识别方法，能够融合各种成像工具，提供对金属和复合材料中不同类型缺陷的可靠和自动检测。开发新的图像融合技术，将已开发的成像技术进行优化组合。为先进的影像数据选择和处理进行软件开发。开发高精度空间定位系统，能够跟踪非侵入性成像传感器相对于被检查部件的位置。

There is an innovative need for more efficient and reliable damage inspection, reducing time and cost of maintenance without compromising the safety of passengers and goods transported. The ultimate objective of the research is to deliver an automated innovative damage evaluation tool capable to detect and characterize damage on either metallic or composite structures by novel optimised fusion of various advanced imaging technologies such as ultrasound, infrared, visual, etc. The respective scientific results of the research are:1. To provide novel approaches for assessing damage in materials used in the transport sector and identify surface and internal discontinuities with size to depth ratio less than 1.5 and detect the size, type and depth of the defect.2. To develop innovative image recognition methodology capable of fusing the various imaging tools and providing a reliable and automatic detection of different types of defects in metal and composites.3. To develop novel image fusion technology for optimal combination of the developed imaging techniques.4. Software development for the advanced imaging data selection and processing.5. Development of a high precision spatial positioning system, capable of tracking the position of the non-invasive imaging sensors relative to the component under inspection.