Digital Laminography and Computed Tomography with 600 kV for Aerospace Applications

摘要

Testing large objects especially when 3-dimensional data is needed is still a challenge. However, there are more and more objects with a size up to several meters in two dimensions having a complex inner structure, e.g. aerospace parts made of composite material or parts in the automotive industry like car doors or hoods, or super-sized industrial ceramics used as protector against heat or abrasion. There are three main obstacles in the process of acquiring 3-dimensional data of these objects. Due to the general planar geometry, it is not possible to penetrate the object in an axial Computed Tomography setup in all directions. Also due to the size of the object and the need of a sufficient resolution only a Region-of-Interest (ROI) can be scanned at a time. The challenge is the unfavorable ratio between the total size and ROI. Furthermore, the material itself or the sheer amount of material denies penetration with conventional Xray systems. Therefore a 600 kV Digital Laminography system was developed offering a solution for the above mentioned challenges in many cases. Contrary to axial CT, it is neither necessary to rotate the object nor to rotate the imaging system around the object. The combination of the large size high precision manipulation system with a high power X-ray source is the perfect solution for the investigation of large objects with planar geometry. Applying the principles of Laminography, even small spots of interest can be investigated throughout the entire object. In this particular case, this technology combined with a 600 kV X-ray system and state-of-the-art digital flatpanel technology opens a new field of application for Non-destructive Testing of large objects.