Apparatus and method for damage location and identification in structures
First Claim
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1. A method for nondestructive testing of structures comprising:
- causing an ultrasonic wave to traverse a portion of a structure being tested for presence of defects, to cause surface displacements in the structure;
providing one or more optical waveguides attached to a flexible structure, each optical waveguide comprising one or more spaced apart transducers adapted to respond to the surface displacements;
locating the one or more transducers in mechanical contact with the surface of the structure under test for a transducer response corresponding to the surface displacements of the structure at respective locations of the transducers caused by the ultrasonic wave;
obtaining modulation of the one or more transducers in response to the surface displacements of the structure;
based on the response of the one or more transducers, reconstructing distribution characteristics of the ultrasonic waves across the structure; and
based on the reconstructed distribution characteristics, determining likely locations of features in the structure.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for testing composite structures in which ultrasonic waves are used to detect disbonds in the structures are described. The apparatus comprises a flexible structure carrying acousto-optical transducers such as fiber Bragg gratings. During use, the apparatus is mechanically and conformally coupled to the structure under test.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for nondestructive testing of structures comprising:
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causing an ultrasonic wave to traverse a portion of a structure being tested for presence of defects, to cause surface displacements in the structure; providing one or more optical waveguides attached to a flexible structure, each optical waveguide comprising one or more spaced apart transducers adapted to respond to the surface displacements; locating the one or more transducers in mechanical contact with the surface of the structure under test for a transducer response corresponding to the surface displacements of the structure at respective locations of the transducers caused by the ultrasonic wave; obtaining modulation of the one or more transducers in response to the surface displacements of the structure; based on the response of the one or more transducers, reconstructing distribution characteristics of the ultrasonic waves across the structure; and based on the reconstructed distribution characteristics, determining likely locations of features in the structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A nondestructive evaluation apparatus for use in responding to surface displacements caused by ultrasonic waves on a surface of a material or structure under test, the apparatus comprising:
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a flexible structure having attached thereto at least one optical waveguide, each optical waveguide comprising at least one acoustic-optical transducer, wherein the flexible structure is adapted to follow the surface displacements in strain and/or bending such that modulation of the at least one acousto-optical transducer is communicated through the optical waveguide to enable processing to determine information on the surface displacement, and wherein the flexible structure further comprises suction pockets to increase, during operation of the apparatus, mechanical coupling between the nondestructive evaluation apparatus and the material or structure under test through creation of underpressure between the flexible structure and the material or structure under test.
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18. A nondestructive evaluation apparatus for use in responding to surface displacements caused by ultrasonic waves on a surface of a material or structure under test, the apparatus comprising:
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a flexible structure having attached thereto at least one optical waveguide, each optical waveguide comprising at least one acoustic-optical transducer, wherein the flexible structure is adapted to follow the surface displacements in strain and/or bending such that modulation of the at least one acousto-optical transducer is communicated through the optical waveguide to enable processing to determine information on the surface displacement, and further comprising at least one suction cup coupled with the flexible structure to increase, during operation of the apparatus, mechanical coupling between the nondestructive evaluation apparatus and the material or structure under test through formation of underpressure under the suction cup. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A method to determine dynamic strain and/or bending of one or more optical filters, comprising:
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performing a first sweeping of a tunable laser to acquire reflection or transmission spectra of the one or more optical filters; for each optical filter, determining one or more features of the reflection or transmission spectrum of that optical filter; and performing a second sweeping of the tunable laser to acquire acousto-ultrasound responses of the one or more optical filters. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification