Comparison of X-Ray, Millimeter Wave, Shearography and Through-Transmission Ultrasonic Methods for Inspection of Honeycomb Composites

Honeycomb composites are increasingly finding utility in a variety of environments and applications, such as aircraft structural components, flight control components, radomes, etc. In-service and environmental stresses can produce unwanted flaws that adversely affect the structural integrity and functionality of these composites. These flaws may be in the forms of disbonds, delaminations, impact damage, crushed honeycomb, moisture intrusion, internal cracks, etc. There are several nondestructive testing (NDT) methods that may be used to inspect these composites for the presence and evaluation of these flaws. Such NDT methods include X-ray computed tomography, near-field millimeter wave, shearography, and ultrasonic testing. To assess the capabilities of these methods for honeycomb composite inspection, two honeycomb composites panels were produced with several embedded flaws and missing material primarily representing planar disbonds at various levels within the thickness of the panels and with different shapes. Subsequently, the aforementioned NDT methods were used to produce images of the two panels. This paper presents the results of these investigations and a comparison among the capabilities of these methods

Fusion of Microwave and Eddy Current Data for a Multi-Modal Approach in Evaluating Corrosion under Paint and in Lap Joints

Critical aircraft structures are susceptible to hidden corrosion. Find-it and fix-it approaches are inefficient as it relates to managing the problems associated with corrosion. More comprehensive corrosion information may be obtained using data fusion from several detection and evaluation methods. To this end, microwave, conventional and pulsed eddy current data from a multi-layer corroded panel, representing an aircraft lap joint, are fused and used as inputs to a structural analysis model to obtain a comprehensive snapshot of the corroded environment. This paper presents the data fusion algorithm and the structural analysis model along with a discussion of the results

Millimeter wave holographical inspection of honeycomb composites

Multi-layered composite structures manufactured with honeycomb, foam, or balsa wood cores are finding increasing utility in a variety of aerospace, transportation, and infrastructure applications. Due to the low conductivity and inhomogeneity associated with these composites, standard nondestructive testing (NDT) methods are not always capable of inspecting their interior for various defects caused during the manufacturing process or as a result of in-service loading. On the contrary, microwave and millimeter wave NDT methods are well-suited for inspecting these structures since signals at these frequencies readily penetrate through these structures and reflect from different interior boundaries revealing the presence of a wide range of defects such as isband, delamination, moisture and oil intrusion, impact damage, etc. Millimeter wave frequency spectrum spans 30 GHz-300 GHz with corresponding wavelengths of 10-1mm. Due to the inherent short wavelengths at these frequencies, one can produce high spatial resolution images of these composites either using real-antenna focused or synthetic-aperture focused methods. In addition, incorporation of swept-frequency in the latter method (i.e., holography) results in high-resolution three-dimensional images. This paper presents the basic steps behind producing such images at millimeter wave frequencies and the results of two honeycomb composite panels are demonstrated at Q-band (33-50 GHz). In addition, these results are compared to previous results using X-ray computed tomography

Application of millimeter wave, eddy current and thermographic methods for detection of corrosion in aluminium substrate

Aluminum structures exposed to the elements are susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may cause various mechanical and structural deficiencies such as material thinning. It is desirable to rapidly detect and evaluate the properties of an aluminum substrate early in the corrosion process to avoid costly maintenance actions later. There are several non-destructive testing methods for this purpose. To investigate capabilities of millimeter wave, conventional eddy current, and flash thermography techniques for detection of large corrosion areas in aluminum substrates, two corroded samples were inspected with and without dielectric coating (applique). This paper presents the results of the c-scan imaging of these samples using the methods mentioned above. The attributes of these methods for detection and evaluation of large, severe and non-uniform corrosion areas with and without a dielectric coating are discussed

A Data Fusion Based Approach for Evaluation of Material Loss in Corroded Aluminum Panels

Nondestructive Testing (NDT) is used to detect hidden corrosion in ageing aircraft structures. Use of any single NDT modality provides an incomplete picture of the corrosion environment. Data fusion techniques can be used for improved visualization and automated detection of hidden corrosion in multilayered structures. This work investigates a data fusion based technique using ultrasound measurements from corroded aircraft samples for estimating material loss. Experimental results are presented and suggestions for future work are made for evaluating residual structural integrity of the panels for a damage tolerance approach to corrosion mitigation

Comparison of X-ray, millimeter wave, shearography and through-transmission ultrasonic methods for inspection of honeycomb composites

Honeycomb composites are increasingly finding utility in a variety of environments and applications, such as aircraft structural components, flight control components, radomes, etc. In-service and environmental stresses can produce unwanted flaws that adversely affect the structural integrity and functionality of these composites. These flaws may be in the forms of disbonds, delaminations, impact damage, crushed honeycomb, moisture intrusion, internal cracks, etc. There are several non-destructive testing (NDT) methods that may be used to inspect these composites for the presence and evaluation of these flaws. Such NDT methods include X-ray computed tomography, near-field millimeter wave, shearography, and ultrasonic testing. To assess the capabilities of these methods for honeycomb composite inspection, two honeycomb composites panels were produced with several embedded flaws and missing material primarily representing planar disbonds at various levels within the thickness of the panels and with different shapes. Subsequently, the aforementioned NDT methods were used to produce images of the two panels. This paper presents the results of these investigations and a comparison among the capabilities of these methods

Fusion of microwave and eddy current data for a multi-modal approach in evaluating corrosion under paint and in lap joints

Critical aircraft structures are susceptible to hidden corrosion. Find-it and fix-it approaches are inefficient as it relates to managing the problems associated with corrosion. More comprehensive corrosion information may be obtained using data fusion from several detection and evaluation methods. To this end, microwave, conventional and pulsed eddy current data from a multi-layer corroded panel, representing an aircraft lap joint, are fused and used as inputs to a structural analysis model to obtain a comprehensive snapshot of the corroded environment. This paper presents the data fusion algorithm and the structural analysis model along with a discussion of the results

Gender differences in the association of visceral and subcutaneous adiposity with adiponectin in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adiponectin, paradoxically reduced in obesity and with lower levels in African Americans (AA), modulates several cardiometabolic risk factors. Because abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT), known to be reduced in AA, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) compartments may confer differential metabolic risk profiles, we investigated the associations of VAT and SAT with serum adiponectin, separately by gender, with the hypothesis that VAT is more strongly inversely associated with adiponectin than SAT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants from the Jackson Heart Study, an ongoing cohort of AA (n = 2,799; 64% women; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) underwent computer tomography assessment of SAT and VAT volumes, and had stored serum specimens analyzed for adiponectin levels. These levels were examined by gender in relation to increments of VAT and SAT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to women, men had significantly lower mean levels of adiponectin (3.9 ± 3.0 μg/mL vs. 6.0 ± 4.4 μg/mL; p < 0.01) and mean volume of SAT (1,721 ± 803 cm³ vs. 2,668 ± 968 cm³; p < 0.01) but significantly higher mean volume of VAT (884 ± 416 cm³ vs. 801 ± 363 cm³; p < 0.01). Among women, a one standard deviation increment in VAT was inversely associated with adiponectin (β = − 0.13; p < 0.0001) after controlling for age, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, education, pack-years of smoking and daily intake of alcohol. The statistically significant inverse association of VAT and adiponectin persisted after additionally adjusting for SAT, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), suggesting that VAT provides significant information above and beyond BMI and WC. Among men, after the same multivariable adjustment, there was a direct association of SAT and adiponectin (β = 0.18; p = 0.002) that persisted when controlling for BMI and WC, supporting a beneficial effect of SAT. Insulin resistance mediated the association of SAT with adiponectin in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In African Americans, abdominal visceral adipose tissue had an inverse association with serum adiponectin concentrations only among women. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue appeared as a protective fat depot in men.</p