SBIR Phase I: Nondestructive Inspection and Monitoring System for Curved Structures

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将探索，设计和实施一种新型的灵活的基于超声换能器的无损检测和监测系统，以改善和简化弯曲和非平面结构的检测。超声波非常适合检测硬质材料的内部缺陷，但现有系统仅限于平面或近平面表面。柔性超声换能器阵列是一种新兴技术，可以潜在地实现对弯曲结构的快速检查，同时保持高角度覆盖、高分辨率和大视场。拟议的系统将采用灵活的换能器阵列，包裹和符合弯曲的结构，以及一个新的损伤指数检测算法，这将允许早期检测和监测的缺陷，弯曲材料之前，灾难性的失败。初期开发将针对两个重要应用：弯曲复合材料航空航天结构和钢制输油管道。最初的系统将是一个低成本，便携式，手持设备能够快速，准确的非破坏性检查的非平面结构。该系统的设计还将适应恶劣环境下的远程监测。拟议的项目是一种创新的系统工程方法，填补了能源，航空航天和军事部门的重大未满足的需求。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力主要集中在两个行业，特别是石油和航空航天行业。两者都将从一个可以快速，高效，准确地检查和监测曲面的系统中受益。复合材料在民用和军用航空航天工业中的应用迅速增加，如导弹系统，新的波音787和许多空中客车型号;然而，复合材料非常容易受到隐藏缺陷和与冲击相关的损伤，有时会导致灾难性的故障。同样弯曲的钢质输油管道也容易受到腐蚀和疲劳破坏，特别是在冰冻、沙漠和水下环境等恶劣环境中。随着世界各地管道基础设施的不断老化，破裂的发生率可能会更频繁地发生。一个灵活的超声传感器为基础的系统，具有近自主的信号检测算法，可以保形地包裹在弯曲的结构，将有一个很大的市场，在航空航天，能源和军事部门，并可能导致防止飞机和导弹系统的冲击相关的故障，以及减少井喷在石油管道。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will explore, design, and implement a novel flexible ultrasound transducer-based nondestructive inspection and monitoring system to improve and simplify the inspection of curved and non-planar structures. Ultrasound is ideally suited to detection of internal flaws in hard materials, but existing systems are limited to planar or nearplanar surfaces. Flexible ultrasound transducer arrays are an emerging technology that can potentially enable rapid inspection of curved structures, while maintaining high angular coverage, high resolution and a large field of view. The proposed system will feature flexible transducer arrays that wrap and conform to curved structures as well as a novel damage index detection algorithm, which together will allow for early detection and monitoring of defects in curved materials before catastrophic failure. Initial development will target two important applications: curved composite aerospace structures and steel oil pipelines. The initial system will be a low cost, portable, handheld device capable of rapid, accurate non-destructive inspection of nonplanar structures. The system will also be designed for adaptation to remote monitoring in harsh environments. The proposed project is an innovative systems engineering approach that fills a significant unmet need in the energy, aerospace, and military sectors. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is focused on two industries in particular, the oil and aerospace industries. Both would significantly benefit from a system that could rapidly, efficiently, and accurately inspect and monitor curved surfaces. The application of composite materials has been increasing rapidly for contoured aero structures in the civilian and military aerospace industries, such missile systems, the new Boeing 787, and many Airbus models; however composite materials are highly susceptible to hidden flaws and impact-related damage sometimes resulting in catastrophic failure. Similarly curved steel oil pipelines are subject to corrosion and fatigue damage, especially in harsh environments such as frozen, desert, and underwater environments. The incidence of ruptures is likely to occur more frequently as pipeline infrastructure across the world continues to age. A flexible ultrasound transducer-based system featuring near autonomous signal detection algorithms that can wrap conformally around curved structures would have a large market in the aerospace, energy, and military sectors and may lead to a prevention of impact-related failure in aircraft and missile systems, as well as a reduction of blowouts in oil pipelines.