SBIR-STTR Award

Dynamics-based Nondestructive Structural Health Monitoring Techniques
Award last edited on: 4/23/2019

Sponsored Program
STTR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$849,663
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF08-T016
Principal Investigator
Michael J Avioli

Company Information

GuidedWave (AKA: Guided Wave~FBS Inc)

450 East Rolling Ridge Drive
Bellafonte, PA 16823
   (814) 234-3437
   N/A
   www.gwultrasonics.com

Research Institution

----------

Phase I

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase I year
2009
Phase I Amount
$99,850
FBS, Inc. and The Pennsylvania State University propose the development of a novel ultrasonic structural health monitoring (SHM)/nondestructive testing (NDT) technology. The goal of our work is to bridge the gap from the short time transient ultrasonic guided wave analysis to the long time modal vibration analysis. This new technique will be sensitive to material properties, defect presence, and overall structural shape. Our hypothesis is that plate loading via comb or annular array loading to achieve optimal wave structures for best sensitivity to a certain defect will also produce different structural reflection characteristics and vibration modes and frequencies. Hence, physically based features from transient, reflection, and modal analysis will be used to characterize defects via pattern recognition analysis. BENEFIT

Keywords:
Ultrasonics, Guided Wave, Transient, Modal Analysis, Vibration, Shm/Ndt, Physically Based Features, Pattern Recognition

Phase II

Contract Number: ----------
Start Date: ----    Completed: ----
Phase II year
2010
Phase II Amount
$749,813
FBS, Inc. and Penn State, during Phase I of its Air Force Phase I STTR contract, demonstrated high sensitivity defect detection in both isotropic metallic and anisotropic composite structures using a novel ultrasonic modal analysis technique (UMAT). The resulting technology which is a merge of vibration modal analysis and the ultrasonic guided wave technique has shown great potential for providing a rapid, high sensitive, reliable, and cost effective nondestructive health monitoring solution for aircraft structures. The resonant frequencies and modal patterns in our work are strongly dependent on the ultrasonic loading functions. We are now looking to further develop the technology using novel time delay actuator designs that are capable of providing appropriate ultrasonic loading functions. An UMAT system will be developed. Phase II testing will fully demonstrate system effectiveness through extensive modeling and experimentation.

Benefit:
The proposed UMAT system will be capable of reliably inspecting a large structural areas using minimal number of sensors and minimal inspection time. The system will provide significant cost saving to the Air Force and private aviation sectors by avoiding the needs of disassembling aircraft structures due to the accessibility issues for defect detection. The system will be light-weight, easy to use, and battery operated. Thus the required services will be minimal and an operator would require only minimal technical skills. The defect detection sensitivities of the system will be superior due to the use of the appropriate ultrasonic loading functions. Thus the safety of military and private sector aircraft users will be increased. The UMAT concept will also be applicable to a variety of different industrial and mechanical structures.

Keywords:
Ultrasonic Modal Analysis Technique (Umat), Guided Wave, Actuator, Ndi, Shm