WO2013171228A1

WO2013171228A1 - System for monitoring the quality of an aircraft structural component

Info

Publication number: WO2013171228A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/059962
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hubert Voillaume
Original assignee: European Aeronautic Defence And Space Company Eads France
Priority date: 2012-05-15
Filing date: 2013-05-14
Publication date: 2013-11-21
Also published as: FR2990758B1; FR2990758A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for monitoring the quality of a structural component (1) of an aircraft, comprising: - a device for monitoring an internal structure (10) of the structural component (1) by ultrasound measurement, - a device for monitoring an exterior aspect (20) of a surface of the structural component (1) by optical measurement, - a robotized support (4), supporting both the device for monitoring an internal structure and the device for monitoring an exterior aspect, which is able to scan successively each zone (z1, z2, zn) of the surface of the structural component (1) so as to simultaneously monitor a state of the internal structure and an aspect of the exterior surface of the structural component, and - a device (3) for processing ultrasound data transmitted by the device for monitoring an internal structure (10) and optical data transmitted by the device for monitoring an exterior aspect (20).

Description

QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM OF A PIECE

OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an automated system for controlling the quality of a structural part of an aircraft. This system simultaneously allows a control of the state of resistance of the piece and a control of its surface appearance.

The invention finds applications in the field of aeronautics for the quality control of structures after manufacture and, in particular, for the quality control of composite material structures of the sandwich type.

State of the art

In the field of aeronautics, the quality of each structural part is checked after its manufacture but before assembly of the aircraft. Depending on the part under consideration, this quality control may be performed before or after assembly of said part with other parts of the structure.

Currently, aircraft increasingly include structures of composite materials, including sandwich type. The quality control of the pieces of these sandwich structures comprises several control operations, in particular the control of the internal structure of the piece and the control of the external appearance of said piece. This is particularly the case with aircraft air intakes. In fact, in aircraft, the engines are mounted inside nacelles whose front portion ensures the entry of air inside the engine. These front parts of nacelles are called "air inlets". In today's aircraft, the air intakes generally have a complex structure made of composite sandwich-type materials. In addition, they generally incorporate noise attenuation functions (for example in the form of layers of noise damping materials), which further complicates their structure.

However, the more complex the structure of a part, the more the quality control, and in particular the control of the internal structure, must be optimal. This control of the internal structure, also called control of the resistance state of the part, is established according to several criteria relating to the strength of the part. This control of the internal structure consists in checking the conformity of the constitution of the structure, the absence or the surplus of material, the presence of crack or detachment, the absence of foreign body to the material, the absence of porosity of the material, or any other anomaly affecting the strength of the part.

The aspect control of the piece is established according to several cosmetic criteria. It consists in particular to check the conformity of the color, the absence of dust, of filaments or of incrustation of particles, the absence of non-conforming relief or any other visual defect.

Conventionally, the appearance control is performed visually, to the naked eye by an operator. The operator carefully studies each area of the surface of the structural part and checks whether its appearance corresponds to that established in the specifications.

On the contrary, the control of the internal structure is realized automatically. For this, the structural part to be controlled is placed on a moving mechanism. In the case of air inlets, the geometry is relatively close to a cylinder, so a turntable is a suitable moving mechanism; an ultrasound control device is mounted on a robot which positions the control device facing the structural part to be controlled. The ultrasound control device emits ultrasound signals in the direction of the structural part to be controlled and receives the ultrasonic waves transmitted by said piece. A study of these received ultrasonic waves makes it possible to determine, if necessary, the presence of anomalies in the internal structure. The internal structure of the structural part is automatically controlled over its entire surface. The combination of the movement mechanics movement and the robot moves the ultrasound control device over the entire surface of the structural part, thus providing a systematic scanning of the entire surface of the structural part.

It is understood from the foregoing that a complete quality control (appearance and internal structure) requires, on the one hand, a visual scan by an operator of the entire surface of the structural part and, on the other hand, an automatic scan of the same surface of the structural part. . A visual check can last approximately 10 to 60 minutes and depends on the number of anomalies and nonconformities found. Given the dimensions of the structural parts of an aircraft, and in particular air intakes, the sweeping time of the entire surface of such a part is relatively long An automatic control sweep can last approximately 1 hour, duration to which must be added the time of setting up and the time of interpretation of the results. When it is necessary, as is currently the case, to perform a visual scan then an automatic scan, it is understood that a complete quality control requires not only a downtime of the long piece but also a time long labor since the operator performing the appearance check must be present during the entire visual scan. In addition, since all the aspect control is based on the vision of an operator, it is necessary that the operator remains attentive and focused throughout the duration of the visual scan.

Presentation of the invention

The purpose of the invention is precisely to overcome the disadvantages of the techniques described above. To this end, the invention proposes to take advantage of the automatic scanning of the internal structure control to perform, at the same time, the scanning of the appearance control of the structural part. The invention thus proposes a system for controlling the quality of a structural part allowing a single automatic sweeping of the surface of said part to control both the internal structure and the external appearance of the structural part. This system integrates an ultrasonic control device to control the internal structure of the room and an optical control device to control the appearance of the surface of the room, these devices are both mounted on the same robotic support.

More specifically, the invention relates to a system for quality control of a structural part of an aircraft, characterized in that it comprises:

a device for controlling an internal structure of the structural part by ultrasonic measurement,

a device for controlling an external appearance of a surface of the structural part by optical measurement, a robotic support, supporting both the control device of an internal structure and the control device of an external appearance, able to successively scan each zone of the surface of the structural part to simultaneously control a state of the internal structure and an appearance of the outer surface of the structural part, and

an ultrasonic data processing device transmitted by the control device of an internal structure and optical data transmitted by the control device of an external appearance.

This system may include one or more of the following features:

the control device of an internal structure comprises:

At least one transmitter capable of transmitting ultrasonic signals towards the structural part, and

At least one receiver capable of receiving ultrasonic waves transmitted by the structural part and transferring the sound data corresponding to these ultrasonic waves to the data processing device.

the device for controlling an external appearance comprises:

At least one light source oriented towards the structural part for illuminating an area of said structural part, and

At least one imaging device capable of producing images of each zone of the surface of the structural part and transferring these images to the data processing device.

- The transmitter, the receiver, the light source and the image pickup device are arranged alternately on the robotic support so as to simultaneously control the same area of the structural part.

the device for controlling an external appearance comprises two image-taking devices positioned next to one another and having different orientations so as to produce two images of the same area with two different angles of view . This embodiment allows an aspect measurement without specular reflection.

- The control device of an external appearance comprises a rangefinder.

the control device of an internal structure comprises a transmission receiver able to receive transmitted ultrasonic waves directly through the structural part and a receiver in tandem mode able to receive plate waves.

- The robotic support comprises a support arm adapted to support the receiver in transmission, the receiver in tandem mode being supported by the main robotic support.

- the system is positioned in the open air for quality control of aircraft engine air intake parts.

- the system is immersed for the quality control of structural parts that are indebted for an ultrasonic immersion test.

Brief description of the drawings

The single figure schematically shows the quality control system of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a quality control system of an aircraft structure part and, in particular, an aircraft engine air intake. This system allows a simultaneous control of the internal structure and the appearance of a structural part to detect any anomalies of appearance or internal structure. Thus, with the system of the invention, a defect of appearance and a defect of constitution can be detected simultaneously, during a single scanning cycle of the structural part. The system of the invention can therefore reduce the cycle time associated with the establishment of the structure on the control zone and the labor time of this control.

An example of the system of the invention is shown schematically in the figure. This system comprises a device for controlling the internal structure 10 and an external appearance control device 20 mounted on the same robotic support and connected to the same data processing device 3. The robotic support may comprise a main robotic support 2 supporting the optical device and at least a portion of the elements of the ultrasonic device, and a support arm 4 placed opposite the face opposite the surface of the part 1 and supporting, for example, an ultrasonic wave receiver. It should be noted that, to control the external appearance of the structural part 1, it is important that the robotic support main 2, supporting the device for controlling the external appearance 20, is placed opposite the surface to be controlled of said part 1.

The control device of the internal structure 10 is an ultrasonic device with air coupling or underwater coupling, as will be explained in more detail later. The ultrasound device 10 comprises a transmitter 13 of ultrasonic signals and at least a first receiver 1 1 of ultrasonic waves. The transmitter 13 is positioned approximately perpendicular to the surface of the structural part 1, hereinafter called part 1. The first receiver 1 1 is a transmission receiver, positioned substantially in front of the transmitter 13. The transmitter 13 emits ultrasound Ο13 in the direction of the structural part 1 to be controlled. The first receiver 1 1 receives the sound waves 01 1 retransmitted directly by the structural part 1. The positioning of the transmitter 13 perpendicular to the surface of the part 1 and the positioning of the first receiver 1 1 facing the transmitter 13 ensure optimal transmission of the ultrasonic waves through the part 1.

The ultrasound device 10 may include one or more other receivers. In the example of the figure, the ultrasound device 10 comprises a second receiver 12 intended to receive the ultrasonic waves 012 propagated by the structural part 1. This second receiver 12 is a receiver in tandem mode which ensures the reception of the plate waves generated by the piece 1. Indeed, the ultrasonic waves 013 emitted by the transmitter 13 propagate partly directly through the part 1. But the transmission of these waves through the room 1 generates vibrations in the room 1 which themselves generate waves 012 plate. To obtain the map most representative of the state of the internal structure, it is better to receive all the waves retransmitted by the piece 1 and thus the plate waves 012. For this, the receiver 12 is placed near the transmitter 13, on the same side of the part 1 as said transmitter 13 and oriented towards these plate waves.

In this way, the receivers 1 1 and 12 are both oriented in the direction of the waves they must receive, the first receiver 1 1 being oriented towards the direct ultrasonic waves 01 1 and the second receiver 12 being directed towards the ultrasonic waves 012. The receiver in 1 1 transmission is mounted on the support arm 4, while the tandem mode receiver 12 is mounted on the main robotic support 2.

On receiving the ultrasonic waves 01 1 and 012, the receivers transfer the received ultrasonic data to a data processing device 3, described later. This data processing device 3 ensures the analysis and the transformation of the ultrasonic data into a representative map of the internal structure of the part. The ultrasound data transferred by each receiver generates a different mapping. The mappings thus obtained are then each compared to a reference map corresponding to a piece of structure without defects. Each map obtained allows the detection of defects of different types. The device for controlling the external appearance 20 is an optical control device which comprises in particular a light source 21 directed towards the surface of the part 1. This light source 21 is a conventional light source as is generally used in the field of photography. For reasons of energy consumption, this light source 21 may be a light source with light emitting diodes (or LEDs).

The external appearance control device 20 further comprises at least one imaging device 22 such as a camera or a camera. This image taking device 22 ensures the taking of at least one image of each zone of the surface of the part 1.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, the external appearance control device 20 also comprises a rangefinder 24 for measuring the distance between the part 1 and the image taking device to ensure the production of an image optimal surface area of the room 1.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the exterior appearance control device 20 includes two image pickup devices 22 and 23. The image pickup device 22 is oriented in a direction 022, while the imaging device 23 is oriented in a direction 023. The two imaging devices 22, 23 are positioned to produce an image of the same zone z1 of the part 1 but at a different angle of view of to avoid specular reflections. Indeed, in grazing lighting, the light penetrates the resin layers of the material composite constituting the part 1, while it tends to be reflected by the fiber layers of said composite material. However, if the light is reflected by a layer of fibers, the image obtained will not be optimal. Also, to avoid any risk of glare by direct reflection of the light, the invention proposes to position two imaging devices side by side, with a different orientation relative to the surface of the part 1 so as to to make two images simultaneously according to two different angles of view. It is understood that if one of the imaging devices is oriented in the direction of specular reflection, then the other imaging device will be correctly oriented. Thus, for each shot taken, at least one image will be optimal.

The imaging devices 22, 23 transfer the visual data obtained in the form of images to a data processing device 3. This data processing device 3 processes the images received so that these images can be compared to reference images or analyzed against a specification.

This data processing device 3 is preferably able to process both the sound data received from the receivers 1 1 and 12 and the images received from the imaging devices 22, 23. It is, in this case, connected to both the external appearance control device 20 and the internal structure control device 10, by a wired link or a wireless link. This data processing device 3 can be mounted on the robotic support 2. It can also, as shown in the figure, be removed from the robotic support.

As schematized in the figure, the part 1 is divided into a plurality of zones referenced z1, z2, ..., zn. Each of these zones must be scanned by the external appearance control device 20 and by the control device of the internal structure 10 during a single scan. For this, the external appearance control device 20 and the control device of the internal structure 10 are mounted on the same robotic support which simultaneously moves the two devices in the same horizontal direction X and / or vertical Y. The support robotized can have a displacement of the anthropomorphic type (with successions of rotary movements) or a displacement of Cartesian type (with translational movements) according to the geometry of the part 1 to control. The external appearance control device 20 and the control device of the internal structure 10 can be placed side by side on the main robotic support 2. In this case, the zone controlled by the external appearance control device 20 and that controlled by the control device of the internal structure 10 may be two juxtaposed zones, for example z1, z2. The two devices 10 and 20 can also be intertwined, the transmitters and receivers of the device 10 and the light source and the image pickup devices of the device 20 being positioned alternately with each other. In this case, the zone controlled by the external appearance control device 20 is the same as the zone controlled by the control device of the internal structure 10. Whatever the positioning of these two devices 10 and 20, the Part 1 scanning is performed simultaneously. The control of the internal structure and the control of the external appearance of the part 1 are therefore performed simultaneously, which allows simultaneous detection of structural defects and appearance defects of said part 1. We understand the time gain obtained by this system.

The system of the invention as just described can be used in the open air. In this case, the ultrasound device 10 operates by air-coupled ultrasound. Such an embodiment is particularly suitable for quality control of aircraft engine air intakes. Indeed, ultrasonic waves propagate more or less well in certain environments depending on their frequency. Ultrasound waves of relatively low frequencies (for example a few tens to a few hundred kHz) propagate well enough in the open air to be exploitable, which is not the case for the ultrasound frequencies of the order of the MHz. An open system is therefore suitable for quality control of low frequency controlled parts, such as air intakes.

On the contrary, the ultrasonic waves of relatively high frequencies (for example a few hundred kHz to a few MHz) propagate particularly well in water. For the quality control of certain types of parts, the ultrasonic waves emitted are high frequency waves. In this case, the system of the invention can be immersed with the part to be controlled, in a basin, to ensure an underwater coupling of ultrasound. When the system is to be submerged, the transmitters, Receivers, light source and imaging devices will be selected waterproof.

Claims

1 - Quality control system of a structural part (1) of an aircraft, characterized in that it comprises:

a device for controlling an internal structure (10) of the structural part (1) by ultrasonic measurement,

a device for controlling an external appearance (20) of a surface of the structural part (1) by optical measurement,

a robotic support (4), supporting both the device for controlling an internal structure and the device for controlling an external appearance, capable of successively scanning each zone (z1, z2, zn) of the surface of the structural part (1) for simultaneously controlling a state of the internal structure and an appearance of the outer surface of the structural part, and

- A processing device (3) of ultrasonic data transmitted by the control device of an internal structure (10) and optical data transmitted by the control device of an external appearance (20).

2 - System according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device of an internal structure (10) comprises:

at least one emitter (13) able to emit ultrasonic signals in the direction of the structural part, and

- At least one receiver (1 1) adapted to receive ultrasonic waves transmitted by the structural part and to transfer the sound data corresponding to these ultrasonic waves to the data processing device (3).

3 - System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the device for controlling an external appearance (20) comprises:

at least one light source (21) facing the structural part (1) for illuminating an area of said structural part, and

- At least one imaging device (22) adapted to produce images of each area of the surface of the structural part and to transfer these images to the data processing device (3). 4 - System according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the transmitter (13), the receiver (1 1), the light source (21) and the imaging device (22) are arranged alternately on the robotic support so as to simultaneously control the same area of the structural part.

5 - System according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the device for controlling an external appearance (20) comprises two imaging devices (22, 23) positioned next to each other and with different orientations so as to make two images of the same area with two different angles of view.

6 - System according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the control device of an external appearance comprises a rangefinder (24).

7 - System according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the control device of an internal structure (10) comprises a transmission receiver (1 1) adapted to receive ultrasonic waves transmitted directly through the structural member and a receiver in tandem mode (12) adapted to receive plate waves.

8 - System according to claim 6, characterized in that the robotic support (2) comprises a support arm (4) adapted to support the transmission receiver, the receiver in tandem mode being supported by the robotic support.

9 - System according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is positioned in the open air for the quality control of aircraft engine air inlet parts.

10 - System according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is immersed for the quality control of structural parts accountable for an ultrasonic immersion test.