[1C5] Next-generation instrument technology designed around NDE 4.0 concepts
F Mainguy¹, F Spears² and P Burrows³
¹PRAGMA NDT, Canada
²AlbanNDE, USA
³Baugh & Weedon, UK
In recent years, NDE 4.0 concepts have gained traction in the non-destructive testing (NDT) community. However, some concepts remain high level and it is observed that the industry is lacking instruments and software that can help materialise the philosophy. Meanwhile, aerospace manufacturers and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) inspection companies face an ever-growing challenge of aiming for total traceability, improved probability of detection (POD) and improved productivity, while suffering a severe scarcity of NDT personnel. This context may not appear ideal for the adoption of new technologies and workflows, but it is believed that NDE 4.0 deployment is aimed precisely to help deal with these goals and constraints.
A new NDT instrument architecture is proposed. It allows a complete digital workflow for modelling, 3D data capture, digital twinning, multi-modality, data fusion, augmented reality and other concepts of NDE 4.0. It also paves the way for remote inspection capability. Examples are provided with phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) and eddy current array (ECA) scanning on aircraft materials.
A new NDT instrument architecture is proposed. It allows a complete digital workflow for modelling, 3D data capture, digital twinning, multi-modality, data fusion, augmented reality and other concepts of NDE 4.0. It also paves the way for remote inspection capability. Examples are provided with phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) and eddy current array (ECA) scanning on aircraft materials.
