Engine Titanium Consortium - Center for Nondestructive Evaluation ...

possible candidates. Development work on these approaches will be limited to building one sensor
assembly for each approach if suitable sensors are not already available at the OEMs. Evaluation
will be performed on appropriate ETC test specimens with both flat and curved sound entry
surfaces. It is expected that phased array approaches will be necessary to arrive at the necessary
sensitivity through curved surfaces. Arrangements will be made to accommodate full team
participation for all of these evaluations. The results will be reviewed to identify a preferred
alternative inspection technology. The review will consider inspection performance, equipment cost
and complexity, operating speed, potential for productivity improvements, and other implementation
factors.
Phased Array Laboratory Testbed: A laboratory testbed for the development and evaluation of the
alternative inspection approach for a 1/128” FBH calibration forging inspection with digital C-scan
data acquisition and SNR based rejection criterion will be established. Additional transducers
necessary to inspect the OEM forgings will be designed, manufactured and tested. Scan plans for
the selected OEM forgings will be developed. A limited number (1-2) of each of the selected
forgings will be inspected per the scan plan. The full description of the testbed is not known at this
time because of its dependence on the initial assessment. An amendment and appropriate request
for funding will be prepared in consultation with the FAA when the details are completed.
Factory Testbed, Evaluation and Demonstration: The laboratory results from the fixed-focus and
alternative inspection method will be reviewed to identify a preferred configuration for factory
demonstration and potential implementation. The review will consider inspection performance,
equipment cost and complexity, operating speed, and other implementation factors. A hybrid
system using fixed focus and an alternative inspection technology will be considered as part of this
evaluation. The chosen configuration will be used to perform factory evaluation of 30 forgings at a
production inspection facility. A production testbed with digital C-scan data acquisition will be
established for the evaluation of the 1/128” FBH calibration forging inspection technique. (This may
include the purchase of additional capital equipment if none is present at production inspection
facility or available for loan from a consortium member.) Scan plans for the selected OEM forgings
will be written by the respective OEM with ISU providing support using the inspectability model
tools. Attention will be given to maximize productivity (to minimize any cycle time impact caused by
the higher sensitivity) for the inspection during the production testbed design and scan plan
development. Any additional transducers required to implement the scan plans will be designed
using the transducer design models and built using commercial sources. A total of 30 forgings (10
from each OEM) will be inspected over the course of 10 months. Noise levels with respect to the
calibration target, and actual inspection time in hours will be documented for each forging and
provided to task 3.1.2. Any detections will be first reported to the responsible OEM. Up to six
indications (from up to three separate forgings) which fail the proposed acceptance limits will be
destructively evaluated to determine their cause. Funds to purchase these forgings are not
included in the current proposal but will require an amendment at the time. The actual hours for the
conventional production inspection of these forgings will be gathered and compared to the time of
the 1/128” FBH inspection to establish a per part cost difference. Additional cost components will
include items such as system cost, longevity of equipment, recurring equipment costs, and costs
associated with false calls. An industry demonstration will be held to provide the results to the other
Quarterly Report – January 1, 2002 –March 31, 2002
print date/time: 6/6/2002 - 8:39 AM – Page 56