The Boeing Company

Other

Michael E Benne

Finley Miller

Kenneth Marvin Dull

Martin Jesse Morris

Christopher Allen Kelble

John Francis Donovan

Donna E Stonner

Alexander Pal

Ronald L Goodman

Thomas Allen Kihlken

Air leaks in a seal beneath a vacuum bag are detected using a leak detection film inside the vacuum bag. The film includes a gas permeable binder and a gas sensitive material held in the binder. The gas sensitive material has at least one visual characteristic that changes in the presence of gas entering the vacuum bag through a leak in the seal.

Leak detection in vacuum bags

Air leaks in a vacuum bag are detected using a leak detection film covering the inside face of the bag. The film includes a gas permeable binder carrying oxygen sensitive material that changes in physical appearance at the location of an air leak. The film may be adhered to the inside face of the bag or may form a separate membrane that is placed over a layup being molded in the bag. The film may be illuminated with light having a wavelength selected to cause the film to luminesce.

A device for detecting an air leak in a tool comprises a vacuum bag and a leak detection film disposed along an inside face of the vacuum bag. The leak detection film may include oxygen sensitive material configured to change physical appearance at a location of an air leak in the tool. A breather layer may be interposed between the tool and the leak detection film for facilitating air flow therebetween.

Device and method for detecting an air leak in a tool

A monitoring system for monitoring a test article includes a scanning system and a computer system. The test article may be positioned within a fluid tunnel. The scanning system may be configured to scan the test article and record positional data of at least one point on an article surface of the test article. The computer system is in communication with the scanning system for receiving the positional data and being operative to determine at least one of the following: a position of the test article, an attitude of the test article, and deformation of the article surface.

System and method for measuring deformation of an object in a fluid tunnel

A method and apparatus for correcting for the temperature sensitivity of pressure sensitive paint using two layers of paint: one that is sensitive to both pressure and temperature and one that is sensitive to only temperature changes. A temperature sensitive paint layer or film is placed on a model to be tested in a wind tunnel for pressure changes over the surface of the model. The first film is responsive to temperature changes and has a magnitude of luminosity depending upon the temperature of the ambient air. Placed over the temperature film is a pressure sensitive paint or film that is sensitive primarily to pressure changes, but also to temperature changes, and produces a magnitude of luminosity depending upon the change in both temperature and pressure. The pressure paint layer is transparent to the luminescence of the temperature layer and a measurement of the luminosity of the temperature layer and the pressure layer is taken. The pressure layer luminosity is corrected for the temperature layer luminosity, thereby enabling a true pressure reading to be determined by comparing the magnitude of luminescence of both the temperature layer and the pressure layer.

Method and apparatus to correct for the temperature sensitivity of pressure sensitive paint

A method of determining pressure requires that a three dimensional surface of an object (14) be covered with a pressure sensitive coating. Next a raw first image (74) is acquired while the object (14) is not under test and a raw second image (74) is acquired while the object is under test. The raw first image (74) and the raw second image (74) are adjusted for a dark image (76) to form an adjusted first image and an adjusted second image. The adjusted first image and the adjusted second image are mapped (78) from a two dimensional representation onto a three dimensional model, to form a first model and a second model. A ratio model is formed (80) by taking the ratio of the intensity of the first model and the second model. Finally, a pressure is determined (84) for every surface that forms the three dimensional model.

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St. Paul, MO, United States of America

Michael E Benne