Real time nondestrutive testing of composite aeronautical structures with a self-adaptive ultrasonic technique

In aeronautical industry, composite structures under testing often have complex and variable geometries. In this case, an optimal use of ultrasonic transducer arrays requires specific algorithms in electronic systems in order to achieve rapid and reliable inspections. To fulfil such requirements, a new real time and adaptive technique is presented. This technique is based on an iterative algorithm that does not require a prior knowledge of the geometrical and acoustical properties of the component undergoing inspection. All different parts of one given component (with flat, concave, convex parts...) can be controlled using a same transducer array, such as a conventional linear array with a flat shape. In this paper, the adaptive processing is demonstrated and illustrated through acquisitions performed with different typical aircraft composite structures.