Thanks for posting the link to the AGFM announcement.
We have been working with them for a number of years, looking at damage in aircraft radomes.
The IRPC project involves a number of different technologies integrated into a unified repair cell.
There are technologies to:
1.Digitize the surface profile of the radome (laser based),
2.determine the possible locations of damage (shearography),
3.determine the exact location and depth of the damage (THz),
4.automated machining to cut out the damage (6-axis robot),
5.laser projection to give a visual indication of where the repair should be made,
6.automated ply cutting to pre-cut the fiberglass for the repair.
We were selected from among a number of different technologies to be the "secondary NDI". That means that we follow-up the initial inspection to provide more precise information.
[It is my feeling that THz could perform the entire inspection without the need for the technologies in 1 and 2, because although we may not be a "global imaging" technology, we could digitize and image the entire radome faster than they can digitize, rig for and perform shearography, and have us image the areas indicated.]
Shearography can only determine the general location. THz is used to provide the specific location and the depth of the damage. Our sensor was mounted on the same 6-axis robot as performed the automated scarfing (cutting out of the damage).
The next steps will be to begin the deployment of an initial repair cell (probably with just digitization and shearography), and the rest of the technologies added at a later date.
(Irl Duling)
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