Keywords
Citation
(1998), "Aircraft inspection", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770fab.020
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
Aircraft inspection
Aircraft inspection
Keywords Aircraft, Boeing, Inspection, Nondestructive testing, Testing
Easy-to-use, portable, nondestructive-testing technology from the Boeing Co.'s Phantom Works in St Louis is being used to inspect military aircraft, showing its ability to save time and money in making component-integrity decisions for the private sector. The NDT technology was developed for the US Air Force's Wright Laboratories in Dayton, Ohio.
The mobile-automated-scanning (MAUS) system uses ultrasound or electromagnetic fields to peer beneath composite or metal surfaces to detect hidden damage. MAUS is said to be much faster and far more accurate than previous methods that typically require tedious, labour-intensive inspection routines and, occasionally, component dis-assembly. Ultrasonic sensors are used to scan composites; electromagnetic sensors are used to inspect metal surfaces.
MAUS consists of a handheld unit, about twice the size of a computer mouse, that is connected to a box of electronics and a portable laptop computer. Interchangeable sensors attached to the unit are then guided over the area to be inspected. The data gathered are displayed on the computer screen and can be saved for later analysis. Average scanning speed is approximately 200 square feet per hour.
The NDT unit is working its way into US Air Force operational use at Air Force Material Command air logistics centres, but it is still considered to be in the prototype stage. The US Navy is also using MAUS during the test-flight phase of its new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter.
In the meantime, several airlines have used the technology to cut the time needed to inspect seams along the top of an airliner from 100 hours to 4 hours, for example. In addition, airline technicians are no longer forced to remove internal components to conduct inspections.
The current version of the system, MAUS III, costs about $150,000. Charles F. Buynak, senior materials research engineer with the Wright Labs' Materials Directorate, envisions a MAUS IV unit that would cost half as much as its predecessor. The enhanced unit, he said, would have an improved user interface, be able to run off a standard laptop computer, feature a wider scannable area, and ride on a flexible track so the system can move over curved surfaces automatically.