ICARO

In-field CFRP surfaces Contamination Assessment by aRtificial Olfaction tool

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In CFRP bonded repair applications, it is mandatory to ensure surface cleanliness for achieving robustness and reliability of the bonds. Unfortunately, aircrafts surfaces can be affected by several potential contamination sources that may hamper the bond strength; such contaminations have to be detected before a bonded repair takes place. Maintenance and repair operating conditions also requires that any contamination detection technique should be operated on a portable basis and measurement results be readily available to the operator. Artificial olfaction (AO) technologies could represent an optimal framework to develop such a detection tool (i.e. an electronic nose). They are based on the integration of gas sensing devices and pattern recognition (PR) algorithms. Their working principle mimics mammals olfaction systems: a gas sensor array, being exposed to a gas mixture, produces a distinct response pattern that can be interpreted by software components to produce qualitative and quantitative estimation on the mixture composition. Our proposal addresses the investigation of AO technology suitability and the development of an e-nose prototype for surfaces contamination detection to be used in bonded repair of aircraft composite structures. The selection of an ad-hoc sensing array will be carried out, investigating the use of several gas sensors based on different operating principles. Their capability to reliably react to volatiles emitted by potential aeronautics contaminants (e.g. skydrol, fuels, etc.) and to exhibit limited drift behavior will be firstly investigated in controlled environment. Once a response database will be recorded, a PR component will be designed and developed to provide qualitative and quantitative readings. Design and development efforts of a final prototype inspection tool will be focused on portability in order to achieve operative capability.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

EU-funded scientists developed an electronic nose technology to ensure high-performance aerostructures.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Adhesive bonding is a common assembly method for carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) in the aerospace industry. Recent research has shown contamination by different fluids severely affects mechanical properties of CFRP bonding. Detecting surface contaminants on CFRP panels before repairing bonds is thus crucial for applying efficient surface treatment.

The EU-funded project 'In-field CFRP surfaces contamination assessment by artificial olfaction tool' (ICARO) developed a compact, easy-to-operate handheld tool for identifying, discriminating and quantifying potential surface contaminants. Contaminated CFRP samples could be identified before bonding and selected to undergo a further cleaning stage to avoid developing possible weak bonds. The project contributed to Europe's Clean Sky initiative for greener aircraft through use of composites to reduce weight.

Mainly relying on solid-state chemical sensor arrays, the prototype electronic nose coupled their sensing capabilities with pattern recognition technologies. The latter are able to analyse the odorant fingerprint and thus perform identification and quantification tasks.

Scientists investigated different sensing technologies for analysing complex gas mixtures (mainly hydraulic fluids, release agents or runway deicing fluids). They examined their capability to react to volatiles emitted by potential contaminants as well as limited drift behaviour in a controlled environment.

Ad hoc pattern recognition software components were investigated, developed and trained for fast olfactive fingerprint analysis. The tool has been tested following common maintenance and repair scenarios.

Results showed that that the ICARO electronic nose was affected by environmental influences in the measurement phase. However, thanks to the developed calibration methodology, it was able to distinguish among the targeted fluid substances.

Named after Icarus, a character in Greek mythology, the developed prototype helped to highlight the potential role of electronic nose technology in the aerospace industry.