The Boeing Company

Mark L Little

James C Kennedy

Clyde T Uyehara

Barry Allen Fetzer

Jeffry J Garvey

James J Troy

Scott Wesley Lea

Daniel James Wright

William Paul Motzer

William Joseph Tapia

Hien T Bui

Michael J Duncan

Steven Ray Walton

Martin L Freet

Michael C Hutchinson

Ronald E VonWahlde

Richard C Krotzer

Michael Joseph Duncan

Ronald E Vonwahlde

A system and method that allow inspection of hollow structures made of composite material, such as an integrally stiffened wing box of an aircraft. A wing box comprises top and bottom skins connected by a plurality of spaced spars. The system employs a plurality of scanners for inspecting different portions of each spar. The system uses dynamically controlled magnetic coupling to connect an external drive tractor to computer-controlled scanners that carry respective sensors, e.g., linear ultrasonic transducer arrays. A system operator can control the various components by means of a graphical user interface comprising multiple interaction regions that represent the individual scanner motion paths and are associated with respective motion script files.

Automated inspection of soft-tooled hollow structure

Improved apparatus, systems, and methods for inspecting a structure are provided that use a pedestal robot mounted on a rail system, a probe extension coupler, and an inspection probe capable of performing pulse echo ultrasonic inspection. A probe may also include sled appendages and an axial braking system to inspect over holes and off edges. A probe may also include an ultrasonic pulse echo transducer array for high rate inspection; the transducer array may be mounted in a bubbler shoe for individually coupling each of the transducers in the array. A rail system may also include an optical encoder for providing location information for the robot and axial braking system. A probe extension coupler presses the inspection probe against the structure for adjusting to changes in surface contours.

Ultrasonic inspection apparatus, system, and method

Improved apparatus, systems, and methods for inspecting a structure are provided that use a probe having two ultrasonic transducer arrays. This enables simultaneous testing using two different test frequencies. The probe uses pulse echo ultrasonic signals at different frequencies to inspect the structure. The probe includes a support body having a fluid conduit formed therein. The fluid conduit provides flow paths for a couplant (such as water) that is used to couple the ultrasonic signals between the structure under test and the arrays. The fluid conduit is configured to quickly eject couplant and bubbles contained in the couplant.

Multiple-frequency ultrasonic test probe, inspection system, and inspection method

Improved apparatus, systems, and methods for inspecting a structure are provided that use a probe with sled appendages and an axial braking system. The probe uses pulse echo ultrasonic signals to inspect the structure. The sled appendages permit the probe to contact and ride along the surface of the structure and are rotatably connected and curved away from the surface of the structure to compensate for contoured surfaces and inspection around holes and edges. The axial braking system, in coordination with a motion control system moving the probe, fixes the positions of the sled appendages just before the probe travels over a hole or off an edge of the structure to prevent the probe from falling through the hole or off an edge and to permit the probe to return to the surface of the structure to continue inspection of the structure.

Ultrasonic array probe apparatus, system, and method for traveling over holes and off edges of a structure

Growing community of inventors

Auburn, WA, United States of America

Mark L Little