A Portable Hybrid Ultrasound-Eddy Current NDI System for Metal Matrix Composite Track Shoes

Abstract

Track shoes made of Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) are light in weight, and can resist high temperature and wear. Defects such as disbond, cracks and porosity can be introduced during the manufacturing process and while in service. Presented in this paper is a portable nondestructive inspection (NDI) system to automatically inspect the tank track shoes for disbond, cracks and porosity defects. The work focuses on the inspection of the track shoe center spline where MMC inserts are attached to the aluminum substrate. A hybrid approach has been developed where an array of broadband high frequency ultrasonic transducers operating in a pulse/echo mode are utilized to detect disbond, and a scanning eddy current probe array is used to detect cracks and porosity. The inspection results agree quite well with immersion ultrasonic C-scan images and destructive tests.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 10, 2007
Accession Number
ADA518385

Entities

People

  • Bao Mi
  • Basavaraju B. Raju
  • Roger L. Royer Jr.
  • Steven E. Owens
  • Tao Qian
  • Xiaoliang Zhao

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Composite Materials
  • Eddy Currents
  • Electrical Conductivity
  • Erosion Resistance
  • Frequency
  • High Temperature
  • Inspection
  • Instructions
  • Intelligent Automation
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Metal Matrix Composites
  • Metals
  • Porosity
  • Resistance
  • Tracks
  • Wear Resistance

Readers

  • Materials Science
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.