Inspection of Composite Rocket Nozzle PDF
Inspection of Composite Rocket Nozzle PDF
Inspection of Composite Rocket Nozzle PDF
Application Notes
Rocket nozzles are manufactured with composite material having good structural and heat resistance capabilities.
Because of the severe working environment of those parts, structural integrity has to be assured. Delaminations and inclusions
have to be detected. Conventional ultrasound techniques are limited because of very bad ultrasonic penetration.
The use of low-frequency transducers in pulse-echo and transmit/receive configurations combined with the use of phased-array
probes ensures good inspection.
A state-of-the-art mechanics with a double oblique arm and a turntable ensure reliable inspection of parts.
The ultrasonic probes are mounted on the oblique vertical axis. The angle of the arm can be adjusted.
The water is recirculated through the irrigation system. The loss of water is minimal.
Parts to Inspect
Composite parts (very noisy material)
Part size
Height: 300 mm (11.811 in.) to 1400 mm (55.118 in.)
Inner diameter: 100 mm (3.937 in.) to 1500 mm (59.055 in.)
Thickness: 10 mm (0.375 in.) to 95 mm (3.74 in.)
Defects to Be Detected
Delamination
Inclusion
SDH of 1 mm (0.039 in.) to 5 mm (0.196 in.) of diameter for calibration purpose
Mechanical specifications:
Axis Stroke Max. speed Resolution/repeatability
Material Requirements
TomoScan FOCUS LT 16:128 ultrasonic phased-array system
Motor drive with a joystick
TomoView software
Computer
Two 1-MHz conventional probe
One 64-element phased-array probe
Local immersion wedges with membranes
Air compressor
Cross-section of the part.
Thin Welds and Friction Stir Welds
The FSW technique was developed as a method to join materials that are difficult to fusion weld, such as aluminum alloys. The
quality of the weld is very high; however, the process may generate small, tight defects that are hard to detect.
The best method to inspect FSW is to use the ultrasonic phased array technique. Because of the weld shape, raster scanning is
impossible; but with phased arrays, inspection of the entire weld volume is done in a single-pass scan. Phased arrays also permit
lateral scanning to detect transverse defects. Inspection angle optimization maximizes the probability of detection. The increased
number of zones covered by phased arrays provides accurate flaw sizing and location. High speed, accuracy, and versatility make
phased arrays the choice technique for FSW inspection.
In-plant, vertical setup for 40-ft long friction stir weld inspection.
Products used for this application
TomoView Software
TomoView is a powerful and flexible PC-based software used
for design, data acquisition, visualization, and analysis of
ultrasonic signals.
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