Bolt Hole Eddy Current Inspections - From Detection To Characterization

Bolt Hole Eddy Current Inspections –
From Detection to Characterization
David Forsyth, John Aldrin, Doyle

Motes, Mark Keiser
Aircraft Structural Integrity Program Conference
28 November – 01 December 2016, San Antonio
Advanced Polymers | Composite Design and Analysis | Nondestructive Testing | Structural Health Monitoring
Outline
• What is it?
• Why do we do it?
• What are the shortcomings?
• Why are we still working on it?
• What’s new?
Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 2
What is it?
Why do we do it?
• See EN-SB-08-012
Bolt hole 0.050”
detectable crack
length on surface
Surface scan
0.250” detectable
crack length on
surface Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 4
What are the drawbacks?
• You have to take out the fastener.
• Hole condition is limiting source of noise.

– Scratches, machining marks, etc.
• Multiple material stackups
– Significant changes in conductivity require
multiple passes with different setups *
Outline
• What is it?
• What’s new?
Why are we still working on it?
• Better POD = less inspections.

– Less money, downtime, damage…
graphic from
Gallagher, J. 2007
Plantema Memorial
Lecture
Long time coming…
Berens A. P., Forsyth, D. S., Rummel, W. D.

“Nondestructive Inspection Reliability and Risk in the Field
and Depot”
ASIP, 28 - 30 November 2006, San Antonio TX
• Recommendations:
10. There is critically important information in the sizes of
the cracks detected at inspections.
The measurement and recording of actual detected crack
sizes should be initiated and may be as simple as use of
replication techniques.
This is a key component of any long-term NDI performance
audit program.
Long time coming…
• Recommendations:
11. In the medium to long term, inspection
equipment and databases should be required to
record all inspection results, not only indications.
This will allow thorough audits to ensure that
inspections have been performed as required in
TO’s.
Outline
• What is it?
• What’s new?
New Developments
• Hardware
• Software
Hardware
• A new ET-BH system is being validated that

automatically indexes the probe through the hole, and
records and displays a resulting map of the hole.
• It also supports simultaneous recording of multiple ET
frequencies and multiple coil arrangements.
• These hardware developments assist in
– discrimination of fatigue cracks from non-relevant signals,
– in the ability to work in multiple material stackups without
recalibration, and
– in the ability to visualize crack lengths on the bore.
Current state of the art
Play video
Latest and greatest*
Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 Play video 14
Latest and greatest*
• * TBD: there is a POD study underway.
• Automatically can work on stackups of three

different materials.
• Visual image display shows length of crack on
bore and location in stackup.
• Better facilities for saving results.
Software
• A new ET inversion software is being validated

to support the sizing of fatigue cracks in
depth. This is important in the selection of
appropriate repairs, and the minimization of
material removal.
• Computational Tools, Victor Technologies
Software
• Forward model: given all the info about the NDT

system and the crack, predict the NDT response.
• Inverse model: given all the info about the NDT

system and response, predict the crack.
• Forward is hard (complex, non-linear, time-

varying, three dimensional)
• Inverse is a lot harder.
New in software
• Algorithms enable inversion by interpolation.
• Run the forward model for a whole bunch of

crack shapes and sizes.
• Given new NDT signal, interpolate in the solution
set to estimate the new crack size.
• Problems?
– Computationally expensive, but only once.
– Need to calibrate, control NDT data collection very
carefully.
Calibrate and control
• Required at a higher level to support

modeling.
Use calibration data to update model
Inverse Problem During Probe Model Calibration
• Full probe state estimation using ‘calibration data’:
a), b) amplitude and phase adjustments
c) differential coil setback (lift-off) a = [ z, f, y, q]
d), e) probe tilt (two directions) ‘probe state’
(4 parameters)
f) relative probe rotation
known
flaw state
Inversion Model results
• New 15 EDM Notch Aspect Ratio Test Panel:
– 5 moderate rectangular notches varying
from ~20x10 mil (2:1) to ~40 x 5 mil (8:1)
– 5 moderate semi-elliptical notches varying
from ~20x10 mil (2:1) to ~40 x 5 mil (8:1)
– 5 small semi-elliptical notches varying
from ~10x10 mil (1:1) to ~20 x 5 mil (4:1)
• Assess ability to evaluate aspect ratio
for flaws with similar cross-sectional area
Inversion Model results
• Results: New 15 EDM Notch Aspect Ratio (NIAR) Test Panel:
L notch orientation
Known Known Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Known Estimated
Flaw ID Depth Length Depth Length Width Depth Length Aspect Ratio Aspect Ratio
# (mils) (mils) (mils) (mils) (mils) (%) (%) () ()
1 4.8 37.0 4.97 35.59 0.82 3.6% 3.8% 7.7 7.2
2 5.9 29.9 6.57 28.76 0.88 11.3% 3.8% 5.1 4.4
3 7.5 25.1 8.22 24.11 0.83 9.6% 3.9% 3.3 2.9
4 8.6 22.3 9.18 23.19 0.80 6.8% 4.0% 2.6 2.5
5 10.0 19.9 10.07 21.30 0.56 0.7% 7.0% 2.0 2.1
6 5.0 37.7 5.27 34.46 0.96 5.4% 8.6% 7.5 6.5
7 5.9 29.7 6.75 27.39 0.76 14.4% 7.8% 5.0 4.1
8 7.6 25.0 7.89 24.33 0.72 3.9% 2.7% 3.3 3.1
9 8.8 22.0 8.94 22.63 0.84 1.6% 2.9% 2.5 2.5
10 9.9 19.5 10.06 21.83 0.71 1.6% 11.9% 2.0 2.2
11 5.0 20.0 5.71 21.82 0.76 14.3% 9.1% 4.0 3.8
12 6.4 17.2 6.73 18.31 0.78 5.1% 6.4% 2.7 2.7
13 7.6 15.2 8.07 16.35 0.74 6.2% 7.6% 2.0 2.0
14 8.7 12.3 8.85 14.46 0.92 1.7% 17.6% 1.4 1.6
15 10.0 9.9 11.08 11.79 0.94 10.8% 19.1% 1.0 1.1
V&V Software
• Air Force funded effort underway to V&V the

inversion model using fatigue crack specimens, and
data from the new Uniwest ET bolt hole inspection
system.
What does it mean?
• For critical applications, TO’s could call out use

of the new ET system.
– Better POD (*TBD)
– Complex stackups
– Stored data
• For critical applications, TO’s could call out use

of the inversion model.
– Accurate crack sizing
Summary
• AFRL continues to support improved inspection

capability.
– Computational as well as hardware.
• Improved POD reduces cost, increases availability.
• Improved crack sizing improves repairs.

– Fleet management
– Digital twin?
You predict fleet performance. Did you
get it right?
prediction of in-service findings
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
all cracks cdf
0.6
probability
POD
0.5
POD * POI
0.4 finds (data)
0.3 finds predicted
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.000 0.050 0.100 0.150 0.200 0.250 0.300 0.350 0.400 0.450 0.500
crack size (arbitrary units)
Acknowledgements
• Advanced Bolt Hole Scanning Transition and

Validation
– Task order 12-S7121-01-C1, RIMSS 041
– PM Ryan Mooers
• Damage Quantification for Bolt Hole Defects

– Task order 16-S8202-01-C1, RIMSS II 0002
– PM Eric Lindgren
• Support from Uniwest, Victor Technologies, AFRL

NDI Depot Managers and Inspectors

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Bolt Hole Eddy Current Inspections –

From Detection to Characterization

David Forsyth, John Aldrin, Doyle

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 2

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 3

• You have to take out the fastener.

• Hole condition is limiting source of noise.

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 5

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 6

• Better POD = less inspections.

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 7

Berens A. P., Forsyth, D. S., Rummel, W. D.

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 8

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 9

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 10

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 11

• A new ET-BH system is being validated that

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 12

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 Play video 14

• * TBD: there is a POD study underway.

• Automatically can work on stackups of three

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 15

• A new ET inversion software is being validated

• Computational Tools, Victor Technologies

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 16

• Forward model: given all the info about the NDT

• Inverse model: given all the info about the NDT

• Forward is hard (complex, non-linear, time-

• Algorithms enable inversion by interpolation.

• Run the forward model for a whole bunch of

• Required at a higher level to support

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 19

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 20

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 21

• Air Force funded effort underway to V&V the

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 23

• For critical applications, TO’s could call out use

• For critical applications, TO’s could call out use

• AFRL continues to support improved inspection

• Improved POD reduces cost, increases availability.

• Improved crack sizing improves repairs.

Approved for Public Release Case Number: 88ABW-2016-5908 26

• Advanced Bolt Hole Scanning Transition and

• Damage Quantification for Bolt Hole Defects

• Support from Uniwest, Victor Technologies, AFRL

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