AUTOMATIC SCANNING INSPECTION OF COMPOSITE HELICOPTER STRUCTURE USING AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FLUOROSCOPIC SYSTEM

It has long been recognized that radiography (x-ray) is a very powerful quality control tool, providing much information about the integrity and internal structure of components. There is a painful awareness of the expense in time and materials associated with film radiographic techniques. In past years, read-time viewing radiographic (fluoroscopic) techniques have suffered from loses in sensitivity and resolution. Recent advances in image intensifying tubes have improved the sensitivity and resolution of filmless techniques. This paper discusses the fluoroscope system that was recently installed at Bell Helicopter Textron (BHT). Included are some of the capabilities of the image intensifying tube and the video image processor that enhances the image signal prior to presentation on three different monitors; a high resolution black and white monitor, a pseudo three-dimension (3-D) image monitor and a color monitor with variable color density slicing features. This fluoroscope system has all of the video image enhancement features incorporated to compensate for the slight loses of sensitivity and resolution still inherent in the image intensifying tubes of today.