Innovative Tool Enhances Aircraft Inspection Efficiency

Cybernet Systems Corporation received the 20th A4A/SAE Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Innovation Award, formerly known as the Better Way Award, from Airlines for America (A4A) and SAE International on 18 September.

This award recognizes a government-industry team that has developed and applied a technology, technique, process or policy that advances inspections or tests of civil/commercial aircraft structure, aircraft components or aircraft systems. Cybernet won this award because of a new NDT Tracker tool, a new, unique capability it developed with the U.S. Air Force that has revolutionized ultrasonic testing (UT) grid inspections for the Air Force, according to the company.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that our work is supporting the warfighters’ missions and making a difference in improving safety conditions,” said Kevin Tang, a Cybernet research engineer who recently presented updates to the Tracker tool during the 65th A4A NDT Forum in Nashville, Tennessee.  

The Cybernet/Air Force team developed the NDT Tracker tool that integrates augmented reality. The tool eliminates the need for hand-drawn ultrasonic (UT) grid inspections, which airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) stations commonly use to map corrosion and verify remaining thickness of blended areas. During these inspections, evaluators draw half-inch or quarter-inch UT grids on the analyzed surfaces, which require two people in close coordination to take readings. Such tests consume a significant amount of time.

The Tracker Cybernet developed reduces inspection labor by half by displaying scan coverage in real time and generating C-scan deliverable reports. A “C-scan” (the “C” meaning “composition”) involves the elements that make up a particular material.

The mobile, camera-based Tracker increases inspection speed for large grids by 20%-30% percent. This shortens the grid-inspection phase and has led to improved turnaround time and better maintenance through-put.

Military and civilian aerospace professionals at Tinker and Robins Air Force Bases, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Antelope Valley College, and ST Engineering currently use this new tool, and it is preparing for extended prove-out with Delta TechOps, Delta Airlines’ MRO division. The invention is now poised to impact all UT gridding done by commercial NDT professionals and organizations.