THERMOBOT

Autonomous robotic system for thermo-graphic detection of cracks

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Non-destructive testing of components is an important auxiliary process step, not only in post-production but also in regular maintenance. The detection of cracks is currently done by using magnetic particle inspection, which is a decades-old, inefficient and ecologically undesirable process. There is an urgent need in industry to replace this technology with more up-to-date methods that provide fully automatic testing. This project thus aims at the development of an autonomous robotic system for the inspection of metallic and composite parts using thermography. By combining automatic path planning for robots using a process model of thermographic image acquisition and knowledge-based image analysis methods, an inspection robot will be developed that can adapt to new parts within 15 minutes and achieves cycle times in the range of 20-30 seconds. Applications include inspection of metallic and composite parts in the automotive and aircraft industry as well as inspection during regular maintenance, mainly in the aircraft industry, where magnetic particle inspection is often a requirement. Market estimates show a potential of more than 1000 such inspection systems within 5-7 years after the end of the project. Despite a higher initial investment (compared to magnetic particle inspection) the robotic inspection system will save more than 400kEUR after 5 years of operation, thus contributing to a substantial increase in efficiency in these tasks. Furthermore, ecologically undesirable suspensions of magnetic particles that include corrosion-inhibitors can be avoided. The consortium consists of technology providers in robotics, industrial inspection and thermographic cameras and end-users that cover metallic and composite parts in the automotive and aircraft industry. SMEs play a leading role in the project and contribute 60% of the total effort.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists are developing novel automated inspection technology to replace an out-dated and inefficient technique still commonly used for large metallic parts. Implementation promises major savings in time and money.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is currently the technique of choice to detect material defects in metallic and composite components. The presence of cracks or discontinuities in a magnetised ferromagnetic material causes a leak of the magnetic field. Iron powder sprinkled on the sample collects at the site, making the size and shape of the discontinuity apparent.

MPI is a cost-effective but rather inefficient and ecologically undesirable non-destructive testing (NDT) method. Scientists are developing an automated thermography-based NDT system within the scope of the project 'Autonomous robotic system for thermo-graphic detection of cracks' (http://thermobot.eu/ (THERMOBOT)) . The system employs a robot with a thermo-camera to analyse heat flow changes related to material defects.

Experiments enabled optimisation of the thermographic process, leading to development of a process model compatible with parts of complex geometry, varying surface structures and different materials. The process model generates a sequence of positions to cover all relevant areas of a part.

An automatic motion planning module uses these positions to generate the robot's inspection path from 3D computer-aided design data. The software ensures that the path is reachable, possible given the robot's joints and movements, and free of barriers. An infrared camera sends images to thermo-image analysis software trained on sample data to detect cracks, make a decision to accept or reject a part, and assess its own performance.

The first demonstrator employing laser-based thermography to evaluate a crankshaft has been completed and implemented with successful inspection of the entire crankshaft. Mechanical and electrical systems as well as software for data acquisition have been completed for the second demonstrator that uses conventional flash lamp thermography to assess a larger woven carbon fibre part. The team are currently optimising process parameters and the process model.

In the end, THERMOBOT plans to deliver a system for autonomous robotic inspection of complex parts that will enable very rapid set-up and fast cycle times for significant cost and time savings with enhanced product quality. The thermographic NDT technology will be equally applicable to production and maintenance applications with a focus on the automotive and aerospace sectors.