A consortium led by British defense technology firm QinetiQ, is University of Southampton, University College London and four companies in ProjectCAN, is working on imaging technology to design and manufacture carbon composite aircraft.

The three-year project is funded by Innovate UK and is aimed at developing non-destructive testing processes to detect errors in composite aerospace components.

The University of Southampton's µ-VIS Centre for Computed Tomography and Nikon Metrology UK will partner to scan and visualize the insides of large, flat components using X-rays. They will use a laminography system and an algorithm to accumulate scan data and reconstruct it into a 3D image.

"We will be developing an alternative technique, which applies computed laminography (CL) techniques, to overcome the limitations of conventional CT for large, flat components,” says University of Southampton µ-VIS x-ray imaging center deputy director, Thomas Blumensath

He mentioned that this will enhance the engineer's ability to find defects in large composite parts, such as those which are increasingly used in aircraft. The effort is expected to help in production and maintenance processes, and will assist in the development of a more environmentally-friendly airplanes, as well as enhanced aircraft safety.

Axi-Tek and UCL will develop a new backscatter x-ray inspection technique to study large area composite structures like wing sections, fuselage components and engine cowlings.

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