|
Princeton Junction, NJ, June 2003-The
Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), recently awarded
Physical Acoustics Corporation (PAC) a Phase I Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) contract; "Acoustic Emission Monitor for Drive System
Coupling Crack Detection."
The objective of this Phase I proposal is to present Physical
Acoustics Corporation's (PAC) ability to design and develop a reliable,
"near" real time monitoring methodology for early detection of cracks
in diaphragm-type couplings used in aircraft and engine drive systems.
The "near" real time AE crack detection system is intended to demonstrate
the feasibility of using an on-line AE crack detection system to provide
suitable advance warning to pilots and maintenance personnel to indicate
the presence of cracks and to preclude catastrophic failure. The proposed
methodology will tailor PAC's state-of-the-art Acoustic Emission sensing,
data acquisition, and Neural Network Pattern Recognition technique. The
development work for Phase I will consist of designing and demonstrating
an autonomous adaptive procedure to recognize and classify damage in diaphragm-type
coupling from AE data in "near" real time.
|
Leading this project, as Program Manager, is Major (retired) Richard
D. Finlayson, Director of PAC's Research, Engineering Applications, Certification
and Training Group (REACT). Dr. Valery Godinez, REACT's Research and Applications
Group Leader, Dr. Fang Shu, Research Scientist, and Balachander Lakshminarayan,
Research Engineer.
Physical Acoustics Corporation is the worldwide market leader in the
development and manufacture of Acoustic Emission Testing (AE) and Nondestructive
Testing (NDT) instrumentation for computer-aided inspection and testing
of today's global industrial infrastructure. The Company's products and
services are used in a wide array of applications including: monitoring
& inspecting the quality, integrity & safety of gas and oil pipelines,
petrochemical vessels and other key structures within oil and chemical
plants, large oil storage tanks, strategic components of nuclear and fossil
fuel plants, metal and concrete bridges, aerospace vehicles, and many
other applications relating to environmental safety. For specific technical
information regarding this contract, please contact Physical Acoustics
Corporation at 195 Clarksville Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550-5303,
attention Richard D. Finlayson, 609-716-4000, vgodinez@pacndt.com.
|
