Understanding System Complexity in the Non-Destructive Testing of Advanced Composite Products

Abstract

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a quality control measure designed to ensure the safety of products according to established variability thresholds. With the development of advanced technologies and a lack of formalised knowledge of the state-of-the-art, the National Composites Centre, Bristol, has identified that the increasing complexity of composite products will lead to some severe inspection challenges. To address the apparent knowledge gap and understand system complexity, a formulaic approach to introduce intelligence and improve the robustness of NDT operations is presented. The systemic development of a high-fidelity knowledge base (KB) involves the establishment of a capability matrix that maps material, component, and defect configuration to the capabilities and limitations of selected detection methods. Population and validation are demonstrated through the experimental testing of reference standards and evaluated against an assessment criteria. System complexity in ultrasonic testing operations focusses on capturing the inherent risks in inspection and the designation of evidence-based path plans for automation platforms. Anticipated deployment of the validated applicability data within the KB will allow for road-mapping of the inspection technique development and will provide opportunities for knowledge-based decision making. Moreover, the KB highlights the need for Design for Inspection, providing measurable data that the methodology should not be ignored.

Mathematical modeling of diagnostics of thermoelastic layered medium

“…(3) and boundary conditions K i3 (1)  (1) , i (x 1 ,x 2 ,0,t)=p (1) 0 (x 1 ,x 2 ,t), (4) {C i3km (1) u k (1) , m - ij (1)  (1) }(x 1 ,x 2 ,0,t)=p i (r) (x 1 ,x 2 ,t) (5) as well as contact conditions of ideal thermal contact of layers (6) and rigid adhesion at the boundaries of layers {u i (r+1) -u i (r) }(x 1 ,x 2 ,h r ,t)=0 (i=1,2,3) (…”

“…The study of the mechanical properties of multilayer media is relevant not only within the framework of the mechanics of composite structural materials [1] and biomechanics [2], but also in geophysics (in particular, in seismology [3]). Despite the fairly widespread development of technical methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), the features of which are discussed, for example, in review works [4][5][6], the problem of theoretical justification of NDT and, in particular, mathematical modeling of the physical processes used for NDT remains relevant.…”

Application of Acoustic Metamaterials in Pulse-Echo Ultrasonic Evaluation of Thick Hybrid Composite Laminates

“…Compared with their metallic counterparts, composite laminates possess unique characteristics and demonstrate complex fracture and fatigue behavior. For several decades, NDE methods were broadly used for inspecting thin composite laminates [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, introducing thick laminated structures, mainly in marine applications, created new challenges in NDE.…”

“…The primary components of a metamaterial are unit cells at sub-wavelength scales that make it possible to consider an AMM to be a continuum medium [3]. Based on their extraordinary properties, AMMs found many applications in acoustic engineering, such as superlens [4], acoustic cloaking [5], waveguiding [6], wave filtration [7], wave amplification, and wave enhancement [8].…”