Dolphitech reveals composite inspection study

Dolphitech’s recent capability study provides insight into how effective the dolphicam2 ultrasonic platform is when inspecting composites on aircraft.

Using a CFRP panel representative of the solid laminate composites on commercial aircraft, such as Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, the study was used to benchmark the capabilities of the company’s NDT platform.

The inspection panel was made to the specification of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) NDI Proficiency specimen 2A and featured various manufacturing flaws typical of aerospace composites; as such it is used to assess the performance of NDT equipment. The panel was a 24 ply co-cured substructure (16 ply skin with eight ply stiffeners and built-up pads). The sample is designed to include a wide range of common flaws in this relatively compact inspection sample.

The dolphicam2, used with a TRM-CI-5MHz transducer (TRM) was able to successfully inspect the FAA NDI Proficiency Specimen 2A. All the manufactured flaws were clearly resolved and characterised. These flaws are categorised as missing sealant, pillow inserts, Dremel cut, flat bottom holes, prepreg backing and grease.

The time and cost savings enabled by the dolphicam2 is demonstrated by this ability to characterise such a wide range of flaw types with a single setup. The TRM-CI-5MHz transducer is versatile and well-suited for many aerospace applications featuring thin to moderate thicknesses of both composites and metals.

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