Robotic-based laser ultrasonic non-destructive testing of 3D-printed continuous fiber reinforced flight control surface

icaf2023 Tracking Number 46

The development of 3D printing technology using various materials has led to the emergence of printing technology utilizing carbon fiber, which suggests its potential application in the aerospace industry. The use of continuous carbon fiber for 3D printing can simplify the existing composite material manufacturing process, but research is needed on non-destructive visualization techniques to detect defects that may occur during the manufacturing process. In this paper, we propose a non-destructive testing system utilizing a 6-axis robotic arm and laser ultrasonic testing (LUT), along with a calculation method for inspection paths. The target of the inspection was the control surface of an aircraft, which was fabricated using a continuous fiber 3D printer. The control surface was fixed at the tip of the 6-axis robotic arm, and a full-area inspection was performed by controlling its position. By using the proposed inspection technique, we obtained a high signal-to-noise ratio from ultrasonic signals generated by the laser. The reliability of the proposed inspection technique was verified through analysis of the inspection results. Keywords: Robotic scanning, Laser ultrasonic testing, Additive manufacturing, Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers