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Nondestructive Taper-Lok Fastener Hole Inspection Without Fastener Removal for…

Award Information

Agency:
Department of Defense 		Branch:
Air Force 		Award ID:
67600 		Program Year/Program:
2004 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
F041-134-0240 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
POSITRON SYSTEMS, INC.
411 S. Fifth St. Boise, ID 83702
View profile »
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 1
Fiscal Year: 2004
Title: Nondestructive Taper-Lok Fastener Hole Inspection Without Fastener Removal for Thick, Multi-Layer Structures
Agency / Branch: DOD / USAF
Contract: FA8650-04-M-5601
Award Amount: $99,920.00
 

Abstract:

The ability to detect cracks within Taper-Lok fastener holes associated with thick, multi-layer wing structures without removing the fastener presents significant challenges to existing nondestructive inspection technologies. Critical fastener hole inspections for sections of the B-1B wing structures require removal of the Taper-Lok fasteners followed by eddy current inspection, at a cost projected at $1 million per aircraft. These widely-deployed aircraft have been facing unanticipated near-term fatigue inspections of flight critical areas on the wings and wing carry through locations due to extensive operations beyond predicted. A new, advanced Nondestructive Inspection technology, Photon Induced Positron Annihilation (PIPA) has demonstrated the capability for thick, multi-layer damage detection and could enable rapid, low-cost inspection of B-1B wing structures without removal of the Taper-Loks, limiting risk to the aircraft structure. PIPA is capable of multi-layer analysis and measurement of fatigue, pre-cracking, and micro-cracks in metal alloys at a much earlier stage and with far better accuracy than any other technology, and can perform in-situ measurements on otherwise inaccessible structures, such as the multi-layer B-1B wing configuration. The basis for this project is to validate Positron Systems' new material inspection technology to detect operational fatigue damage in representative B-1B wing splice configurations.

Principal Investigator:

Doug Akers
Technology Director
2085206269
douga@positronsystems.com

Business Contact:

Curt Rideout
Manager, Marketing and Sales
2086721923
curtr@positronsystems.com
Small Business Information at Submission:

POSITRON SYSTEMS, INC.
6151 N. Discovery Way Boise, ID 83713

EIN/Tax ID: 820532912
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No