Aerospace ndt equipment and ultrasonic test equipment

• Squirter systems are used for composite material inspection in aerospace manufacturing. These systems can be very large and complex - for example systems greater than 10 metres long are quite common, although much smaller systems are also manufactured.
  
• Immersion systems are widely used in the metal manufacturing industries for "off-line" inspection of billets, bars and plates and also for fabricated parts such as jet engine turbine blades. These systems, like squirter systems, can be very large but they are also commonly used on a much smaller scale for laboratory tests and for research and development.
  
• In the tube and bar manufacturing sectors, ultrasonic inspection is normally carried out in-line, either as part of a continuous process or on a batch basis, depending on the manufacturing process. In these applications, ultrasonic test equipment is often combined with other equipment such as eddy-current test equipment and laser gauging.
  
• Acoustic microscopes are a special form of immersion system operating at much higher ultrasonic frequencies and using high resolution scanning units. They are capable of producing highly detailed internal images of materials and components. They are widely used in the manufacturing and testing of integrated circuits and also in laboratory or research and development applications.
  
• Applications in general engineering can be widely variable, depending on the product being tested. Typical applications are in weld inspection in the automotive industry and inspection of fabricated assemblies.

Immersion systems for the worlds major titanium suppliers Systems have been delivered recently to both of the world’s major suppliers of aerospace titanium plate. One of these systems is effectively two scanning units in one — the immersion tank is divided into two sections, each with its own 5 axis scanning bridge and multi channel ultrasonics. The tank divider can be removed for inspection of long plates when required. The second has an 8 metre self propelled immersion tank which moves out of the inspection area for loading and unloading. Each bridge has an 8 probe manipulator with two motorised angular axes. These axes are controlled during the scan so that the correct incident angle is set for tapered products—this changes as the probe manipulator reaches each separate product. The angle can also be changed automatically to compensate for product which may not be flat. Similar machines have been in continuous operation in UK for 9 years—in 2007 these will be upgraded to bring the functionality up to date.

Multi axis system for complex geometry composite parts… USL’s second 17 axis system for composite inspection composites test equipment has been delivered to an aerospace manufacturer in Netherlands. This has a scan envelope of 8 x 2 x 2 metres, with 10 axes controlled simultaneously to follow very complex curvatures. (Our definition of “complex curvature” means that the part has a significant curvature in both X-Y and X-Z planes. Parts like this cannot be inspected using less than 10 axes. Some of our competitors make 7 axis systems claimed to be for complex geometry, but these will test only single curvature parts,. By our definition this is simple geometry!)   A number of enhancements have been introduced since an earlier installation at BAE SYSTEMS, to further increase the accuracy, stabilise the part fixturing and update the software. In common with the BAE machine, the new system has a 5 axis programmable fixture for accurate location of parts, although the software is able to compensate for variations in the part position. It will be used on components for both civil and military aircraft, including JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) and Airbus. A special squirter manipulator has been designed for access into tight corners, where traditionally it has not been possible to carry out through transmission inspection. 

New orders… After several years trying, we have made another major breakthrough in winning an order from China. This is the largest single order ever received by USL and, together with an existing order from a manufacturer of aluminium plate, it makes China our largest market in terms of value. In addition, an order has been received from Romania for a large multi channel immersion unit for inspection of aluminium plate .The overall size is 14 x 4.5 metres and the main structure, including the tank, will be manufactured in Romania to a USL design. We will supply and install a 7 axis scanning bridge, together with all the electronics for motion control and ultrasonics. In addition to these export orders, several systems are in progress for UK customers.

Technical update …Recent systems all incorporate the PM30 Pulser Receiver, which operates with both linear and logarithmic amplifiers. This enables us to generate C scans simultaneously in both through transmission mode (log) and pulse echo mode (linear). Also, we are now using analogue to digital converters with a sampling rate of up to 2GHz in appropriate systems.

Ultrasonic Sciences Ltd, Unit 4 Springlakes Industrial Estate, Deadbrook Lane, Aldershot, Hants, GU12 4UH, England. www.ultrasonic-sciences.co.uk Tel + 44 (0)1252 350550 Fax + 44 (0)1252 350445 6 7 5