Compiled by Photonics Spectra staff
Aircraft manufacturers soon may not need large heaters or traditional
infrared thermography techniques to detect internal damage in planes and other objects,
thanks to a simple handheld device and heat-sensitive camera devised by scientists
at MIT.
In recent years, aircraft manufacturers have built their planes
from advanced high-strength fibers, such as carbon or glass, embedded in a plastic
or metal matrix. Composites are stronger and more lightweight than aluminum but,
when hit, often do not show surface damage even when internal damage has occurred.
Inspectors currently use infrared thermography, which detects IR radiation emitted
when the surface is heated.
Using a simple handheld device and a heat-sensitive camera, inspectors soon may be able to more efficiently inspect airplanes for damage, thanks to a new method developed by researchers at MIT.
In an advanced composite material, any cracks or delamination
– separation into layers – redirects the flow of heat. That abnormal
flow pattern can be seen with a thermographic camera. Although effective, the method
is cumbersome because it requires large heaters to be placed next to the surface.
With the new approach, carbon nanotubes are incorporated into
the composite material during production; when a small electric current is applied
to the finished surface, the nanotubes heat up, eliminating the need for any external
heat source. Using a thermographic camera or goggles, inspectors should be able
to see the damage.
The technique could allow airlines to inspect planes more quickly,
the scientists said. The project is part of a multiyear effort funded by the aerospace
industry to improve the mechanical properties of existing advanced aerospace-grade
composites. The US Air Force and US Navy both are interested in the technology,
and the MIT team is working with them to develop it for their aircraft and vessels.
The new MIT carbon nanotube hybrid materials have thus far shown
better mechanical properties, such as strength and toughness, than existing advanced
composites. Findings appeared March 2011 in Nanotechnology (doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/22/18/185502).