IR thermography in NDE of carbon-glass laminate

The article presents a comparison of the effects of using active IR Thermography technique for the tests of composite aircraft structures. The most important question arising together with an increased use of composites in aviation industry is to work out a method, which would allow identification of the technological defects, and damages appeared in the process of the aircraft use. Non-destructive testing which has been used so far to identify defects in the aircraft structure made from metallic materials has a quite limited application in case of composite structures. With the growing use of composites in the aviation industry, a necessity appears to work out a method allowing early identification of technological defects and damages appeared in the process of the aircraft operation. It could be the active thermography techniques used for the thin walled elements tests, such as wing and fuselage skin, with the focus on fractures and delamination. Light composite aircraft have been built for a many of years, however, the annual flight hours of these aircraft are incomparably lower than those of the aircraft used in air transport. In group of light aircraft, the less important elements were made of composites regarding the strength of the whole construction. When the newest aircraft were introduced, with most important construction elements such as the fuselage, wings, horizontal and vertical tails, doors and the interior made of composite materials, it was expected that the increased amount of the annual flight hours (more than 3000 hours) and the expected airliner lifetime (about 30 000 hours) would soon cause degradation of the mechanical properties of the composites following from the progress of ageing of the composite structures. The obtained research results bring closer the problem of selection of the well-fitted non-destructive testing method depending on the kind of the diagnosed constructio

IR THERMOGRAPHY IN NDE OF CARBON-GLASS LAMINATE

The article presents a comparison of the effects of using active IR Thermography technique for the tests of composite aircraft structures. The most important question arising together with an increased use of composites in aviation industry is to work out a method, which would allow identification of the technological defects, and damages appeared in the process of the aircraft use. Non-destructive testing which has been used so far to identify defects in the aircraft structure made from metallic materials has a quite limited application in case of composite structures. With the growing use of composites in the aviation industry, a necessity appears to work out a method allowing early identification of technological defects and damages appeared in the process of the aircraft operation. It could be the active thermography techniques used for the thin walled elements tests, such as wing and fuselage skin, with the focus on fractures and delamination. Light composite aircraft have been built for a many of years, however, the annual flight hours of these aircraft are incomparably lower than those of the aircraft used in air transport. In group of light aircraft, the less important elements were made of composites regarding the strength of the whole construction. When the newest aircraft were introduced, with most important construction elements such as the fuselage, wings, horizontal and vertical tails, doors and the interior made of composite materials, it was expected that the increased amount of the annual flight hours (more than 3000 hours) and the expected airliner lifetime (about 30 000 hours) would soon cause degradation of the mechanical properties of the composites following from the progress of ageing of the composite structures. The obtained research results bring closer the problem of selection of the well-fitted non-destructive testing method depending on the kind of the diagnosed constructio

Non-destructive evaluation of rescue and patrol unmanned aerial vehicle

With the growing intensity of civil usage of the UAV, one of the most important problems is safety. It consists of operational safe use of the UAV in the common air area and reliability of the aerial vehicle construction. Each flying object is subjected to external loads, which influence on it in flight and on the ground. The external loads are mainly caused by aerodynamic, weight and inertia influence, ground reaction force and the power unit [1]. That is why during service, UAV structures are prone to many mechanical and environmental conditions that can damage to composite structures in the form of delamination, fiber breakage, and matrix cracking. Monitoring the level and type of damage to a composite structure is vital to determining the component’s structural integrity and preventing the failure of the structure during flight [2]. Non-destructive testing which has been used so far to identify defects in the aircraft structure made from metallic materials has a quite limited application in the case of composite structures. With the growing use of composites in the aviation industry, a necessity appears to work out a method allowing identification of technological defects and damages appeared in the process of the UAV’s operation. The answer to the appearing demand could be, for instance, the active thermography technique used for the thin wall test of the skin elements of the UAV. The obtained research results bring closer the problem of selection of the quick, well-fitted non-destructive testing method depending on the kind of the diagnosed construction

Analysis of wind impact on emission of selected exhaust compounds in jet engines of a business jet aircraft in cruise phase

Among the most important problems currently faced by air transport, we can distinguish the adverse impact of aircrafts on the natural environment, as well as the rising costs of transport. One of the possibilities to improve this situation is better adjustment of aircraft characteristics to the performed transport tasks, taking into account all the requirements and limitations that exist in air traffic and the adverse impact of air transport on the natural environment. It is reflected in the research tasks conducted under the SESAR program. The aspiration to minimize the adverse impact of aircrafts on the environment is executed, among others, through determining such trajectories that are characterized by minimal fuel consumption or minimal emission of harmful substances in the engines exhausts. These goals are corresponding with the research conducted and described in the paper. The main aim of the work was to analyse the impact of wind speed and direction on the emission of harmful substances of a jet aircraft performing a flight on a given route. For research purposes, the route between two Polish cities Gdansk and Rzeszow was considered. The distance between the two airports was divided into sections for which wind direction and strength were determined (read from the windy.com website). Next, the aircraft performance was determined and the fuel consumption and the amount of harmful compounds (CO2, NOx, CO and HC), emitted in the engines exhausts were determined for the route from Gdansk to Rzeszow (under favourable wind conditions) and on the return route - from Rzeszow to Gdansk (under unfavourable wind conditions). For comparative purposes, emission of these substances for windless conditions was also determined. The results are presented in tables and depicted in the graph, as well as discussed in the conclusions of the paper

Emission of selected exhaust compounds in jet engines of a jet aircraft in cruise phase

Nowadays, air transport is in an intense development phase. In order to optimize air communication and make it even more economical and environmentally friendly, attempts are made to undertake such activities as, e.g., SESAR project, which aims to develop and implement a modern ATM system. One of the parts of this project is the research on minimizing fuel consumption and emissions of pollutants in the engine exhausts. In the paper there is therefore presented the methodology for determining emission of those pollutants for the longest stage of the flight - the cruise phase. First, the value of the thrust required for the flight of an exemplary aircraft was deter-mined, and then the values of the engines trust and specific fuel consumption were computed. Additionally, it was necessary to determine the Emission Indexes (EI) of CO, NOx, HC and CO2 for the cruise phase, based on known such indexes for the LTO. Total emissions of these pollutants for the mission adopted to conduct research - a 1000 km long cruise - were determined. These emissions were computed for the exemplary aircraft per one kilometre, as well as per one hour of flight for various cruising altitudes and flight speeds