Lockheed Martin has begun inspecting composite F-22 parts using its patented laser ultrasonic technology system, known as LaserUT.
The technology enables affordable, high-volume inspection of complex-contoured composite parts. It is the first time production aircraft parts have been inspected using the advanced laser testing system, following years of research and prototyping by Lockheed Martin and its predecessors at Fort Worth. New generation combat aircraft such as the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) have a high percentage of graphite-epoxy composite material in their structures. Extensive inspection is required to ensure no flaws exist in the many layers that comprise the finished composite components. The LaserUT system requires little set-up time and performs high-resolution inspection in a tenth of the time compared with current water ultrasonic inspection systems.
"We recently inspected a large section of the F-22 engine inlet duct in less than 2h using LaserUT compared with 24h with the first-generation inspection equipment," says Russell Ford, vice-president of Aerostructures Manufacturing at Lockheed Martin. "With this 90% reduction in inspection time, we expect to shorten manufacturing span times by many weeks and to realise substantial cost savings over the course of F-22 and JSF production. Also, the accuracy of the system will help us achieve even higher standards of quality."
The system is controlled by a Silicon Graphics Onyx II supercomputer capable of advanced, real-time signal processing and data analysis. The computer uses a 64-bit R10000 processor with a throughput capacity of at least 6.4 gigabytes per second.
Source: Flight Daily News
