Composite Testing & Inspection
Whether for airframe components on military or commercial aircraft, large rotating blades on aircraft engines and windmills or piping systems, GE has developed significant expertise for enhancing the inspection process with composite materials.
Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties, which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. Composite materials have gained popularity in high-performance products that need to be lightweight, yet strong enough to take harsh loading conditions such as aerospace components (tails, wings, fuselages, propellers).
As the use of composites as well as adhesive bonded joints in the aerospace, automotive, power generation and other industries has increased, so has the need for testing bond integrity in products like honeycomb composites, carbon fiber composites, and metal/metal joints. Conventional ultrasonic flaw detectors can also be used for many bond tests and are especially useful in applications invoking thick parts or sonically attenuating materials, like plastic or rubber liners in metal pipes.
To aid in predicting and preventing failures, composites are tested before and after construction. Pre-construction testing may use finite element analysis (FEA) for ply-by-ply analysis of curved surfaces and predicting wrinkling, crimping and dimpling of composites. Materials may be tested after construction through several nondestructive methods including ultrasonic testing, thermography, shearography and radiographic testing
Applications
Airframe Manufacturing
- Composite airframe
- Composite flight surfaces
- Metal components
Engine Manufacturing
- Cast & composite airfoil
- Welded structures
- Forged disks
Structural Components
Equipment
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| Bondtracer Quick and easy-to-use Go / No Go composite tester developed for the Boeing 787 |
UTxx UTxx is a versatile ultrasound electronic platform for industrial applications |
XLG3 VideoProbe Today's most capable video borescope, the XLG3 features QuickChange probes that quickly reconfigure probe diameter and length. |
Squirter / Immersion Tank Systems Flexible and adaptable systems for inspection of diverse range of aerospace components, material compounds and geometries. |
Phasor Series Digital flaw detectors combining conventional portable flaw detection with phased array imaging. |
