Frequent flyer: low-frequency ultrasound could aid aircraft safety by speeding up wing testing

摘要

AIRCRAFT SAFETY could be boosted by faster and more frequent inspections of wing structures if researchers can demonstrate that their methods are reliable. They plan to speed up the detection of defects in wings by monitoring the behaviour of low-frequency ultrasound. The use of ultrasonics for nondestructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring is spreading, but inspectors tend to use frequencies of 5 MHz. 'Our guided ultrasound uses much lower frequencies, at about 100 kHz,' said Dr. Paul Fromme, project leader at University College, London. Then it's like throwing a stone in water and seeing how the ripples spread.'