A crack operation

摘要

Inspecting aircraft engines for tiny cracks could soon be done on the runway thanks to a new 1cm~2 testing patch. Researchers from Nottingham University and Rolls-Royce are developing the patches as a way of creating and detecting ultrasonic waves that can be used to identify internal faults in components. The team, led by Prof Matt Clark, hopes this could help aircraft technicians spot potential problems earlier because they won't have to wait for a routine engine overhaul to inspect for cracks. 'Usually the engine has to be disassembled and parts taken out for inspection, which consumes a lot of time and the plane is not operational,' said Victoria Ageeva, a PhD student working on the project. '[We hope] we can enable such inspection on the runway through existing ports in the engine.'