ON THE ANALYSIS OF COMPUTER VISION AND ULTRASOUND BASED TECHNIQUES FOR THE IN-SERVICE INSPECTION OF AERONAUTICS PARTS PRODUCED BY ADDITIVE LAYER MANUFACTURING (ALM)

Bionic Aircraft is a project founded under the framework H2020 and it is a result of a need to reduce emissions due to the impact of the growth of the aviation industry. The introduction of Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) to produce some metal aircraft parts is considered as an opportunity to address this issue. This technology allows to produce ultra-lightweight and highly complex parts (so-called "bionic parts"). One of the actions to consider in the project is the development of new Non-Destructive Technologies (NDT) strategies to inspect, in-service, parts produced by ALM made of Al-based alloys. This need arises because, ALM processes for these alloys are at low maturity level (Technology Readiness Level - TRL1) and hence, no proven and certified NDT methods are yet developed. Moreover, in-service inspection of aeronautic bionic parts involves challenges like the uncertainty of the inner inspection of a layered material, the lack of accessibility (the part is attached to the aircraft fuselage), and the unexpected defects under in-service conditions, something still under study. The objective of this work is to assess the inspection, in-service, of this kind of parts, by selecting and customizing the most suitable NDT methods, according to the type and maximum tolerable damage sizes estimated by a fatigue life prediction evaluation.