E. M. Rasselkorde, TWI Validation Centre (Wales), Port Talbot, United Kingdom; P. Wallace, TWI Ltd, Margam, Port Talbot, United Kingdom
Complex geometry components made from titanium material such as aerospace gas turbine Fan engines is often classified as “safety critical” component, and subject to very high stresses and vibration. It required the highest structural integrity. NDT techniques such as Ultrasonic and eddy current have been developed to inspect these components. This paper presents an ultrasonic testing inspection for the fan blades components, modeling using CIVA and Continuum Ultrasonic Modeler has been performed in order to predict the ultrasound propagation and defects responses for different type of scans. A comparison between the experimental and modelling results was shown good accuracy of the modeling in predicting the ultrasonic inspection performance.
Summary: Inspections of critical aerospace components such as Low Pressure Compressor blades (Fan Blades)are carried out on a periodic basis at components locations where stress analysis predicts cracks. However, the consequences of discontinuities developing in any location are severe. Modelling tools are becoming a part of the NDT process to assess the inspection and predict the defect response. This papers deals with the ultrasonic modelling of fan blades in order to predict the ultrasonic field inside the fan blades and the defect response for different scans The simulation data were compared to those from experiments. A good agreement between the experiment and simulation result was identified.
