Washington: Scientists claim to have found evidence that a technology, called sonic thermography, could be used to help detect defects in aircraft, even those invisible to the naked eye.
An international team, which involved the US, Canada,Britain, New Zealand and Australia, says there is the need to keep today's military aircraft flying long past the end of their design lives due to their very high replacement cost.
Maintenance inspections to detect parts that are defective due to effects such as corrosion and cracking have therefore become increasingly vital, and much research effort is being put into finding ways that reduce the expense and
aircraft downtime required, say the scientists.
"One particular problem for inspection work is posed by small fatigue cracks that arise in many aircraft structures and tend to remain closed under normal conditions, making them very difficult to detect.
"Early detection is essential in the case of parts that are critical to the safety of flight," said team member Dr Kelly Tsoi of the Australia's Defense Department.
Several non-destructive inspection techniques are currently in use, involving such means as liquid penetrants, magnetic particles, eddy currents, x-radiography and ultra-sonics, but these are seen to be less than optimal for
detecting certain types of flaws.
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