Ultrasonic Scan Control and Analysis Using Catia Datasets

There has been a proliferation in the use of polymer composite parts in aircraft structural applications. Designers also are using more computer-aided design (CAD) tools to define and manufacture such parts. Computer-Graphics Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application (CATIA) software was developed by Dassault Systemes and is used at The Boeing Company to design new composite parts. A part’s construction is often complicated by material, thickness, or profile variations that are required by engineering specifications. When complex composite parts are fabricated, it is often necessary to perform nondestructive evaluation to determine a part’s interior quality. Automated ultrasonic inspection is a common method used on composite laminate and honeycomb parts. The typical system output consists of one or more C-Scan images on a computer display.