Session: 15-01: Robotic and Automated NDE

Paper Number: 147501

147501 - Developing a Test Bed for Autonomous Inspection Without Disassembly 

Abstract: 

Many inspection activities in the aerospace industry today require considerable disassembly of the aircraft in order to reach confined or access-limited spaces. As a result,  systems are removed from service for delivery to a controlled environment such as a maintenance facility. Once disassembled, the system undergoes a manual/semi-automated inspection and may still require an inspector to work within confined, difficult to access spaces.  Not surprisingly, this results in considerable downtime and significant cost.  However, as the aerospace industry evolves, the requirements for inspection will necessarily evolve with it.  The ability to perform inspections  in uncontrolled environments with little to no disassembly would be an enabling paradigm shift in the field of nondestructive inspection. 

The use of non-traditional small-scale robotics operating autonomously in dynamic environments is one potential approach to realize the vision of inspection without disassembly.  However, before this can occur, numerous challenges must be resolved.  For example, robotic systems, such as flexible and/or miniature robots, will be required to navigate through small, confined spaces, but issues related to adhesion, stability, and spatial registration will need to be resolved.  Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) sensors will need to be adapted for compatibility with various robotic platforms, and power requirements will likely need to be reduced.  Additionally, the development of new tools  to enable teams of robotic NDE sensors to work together and dynamically make decisions about where and how to perform inspections will play a critical role.

Many of the required advances in robotics and automation are active areas of research across several disconnected fields.  However, to prepare for the future of NDE without disassembly, these disconnected advances will need to be adapted and integrated.  Toward this end, our work focuses on developing a robotics and automation test bed to explore the intersection of NDE and autonomous robotics.  For initial implementation, a traditional six-axis robotic arm is being integrated with an eddy current sensor with the intent that NDE modality can be readily and routinely swapped out.  Software development is utilizing the state-of-the-art in open-source robotics control and data acquisition software and is being designed in a robotic platform-agnostic manner. The use of these tools allows for rapid iteration and the development of key software for developing scan plans and inspecting arbitrary geometries. Challenges related to probe control, placement, and integration with the robot are also currently being explored and addressed. This talk will provide a high-level overview of the project, cover the current state of development, and discuss future plans.

Presenting Author: Tyler Lesthaeghe University of Dayton Research Institute

Presenting Author Biography: Tyler Lesthaeghe is a research engineer with UDRI specializing in nondestructive evaluation. He leads on-site contracted efforts with UDRI at AFRL in the Materials State Awareness Branch. His background spans thermography, ultrasound, and electromagnetic inspection techniques.

Authors:

Liam Murray University of Dayton Research Institute
Tyler Lesthaeghe University of Dayton Research Institute