A non-destructive testing technology that provides a permanent digital record of the structural integrity of a component is being evaluated for aerospace applications.
US company Vibrant says pilot projects using its process compensated resonance testing (PCRT) are under way with companies including an aircraft manufacturer, an airline, engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair and overhaul firms.
PCRT uses transducers to transmit a signal, ranging from a few hundred Hertz to 5MHz, through a component and detects the effect on the signal from its structure, which produces a resonance pattern that a computer can analyse to determine the integrity of the component.
PCRT was developed by the US government's Los Alamos National Laboratory, commercialised by Quasar International for the automotive market, and now Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Vibrant is introducing the technology to aerospace companies for structural integrity monitoring.
Vibrant has raised $1 million in seed investment to launch the technology into the aerospace market. Pilot projects include validating the integrity of parts produced by an aircraft manufacturer using a metal injection moulding process evaluating PCRT for single-crystal turbine blades and forged and machined stators for two engine manufacturers and investigating turbine-blade life extension for an airline.
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Source: Flight International
