A lightweight wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan detection and leveling system and detection method

Abstract

This invention relates to a lightweight wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan testing leveling system and method, belonging to the field of non-destructive testing technology, and solves the problem of low testing efficiency caused by repeated manual leveling in existing technologies. The leveling system includes a leveling device for keeping the plane to be tested of the wing rudder parallel to a reference plane; the leveling device includes a frame and a support block; the frame supports the wing rudder to be tested, and the support block is located at the bottom of the frame to support the frame and keep it stable; the top surface of the frame has a slot for placing a clip on the wing rudder to be tested.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of nondestructive testing technology, and in particular to a lightweight wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan testing leveling system and testing method. Background Technology

[0002] Superplastic forming / diffusion bonding (SPF / DB) technology enables the integral fabrication of complex thin-walled parts, offering unique technical advantages in reducing aircraft structural weight, improving structural integrity and load-bearing efficiency. It also boasts advantages such as good formability, high design freedom, precise forming, no residual stress, and a small number of parts. With ongoing research into this technology, the maturity and engineering application of SPF / DB technology are increasing. This technology has been successfully and widely applied to the main load-bearing components of aerospace vehicles, which places higher demands on the manufacturing technology and internal quality of SPF / DB components.

[0003] Lightweight wing rudders are formed using superplastic forming / diffusion bonding technology. Because the defect characteristics of these parts differ from those of conventional welded parts, conventional inspection methods such as X-ray, magnetic particle, and eddy current testing are ineffective in detecting and evaluating their defects. Therefore, immersion ultrasonic C-scanning is primarily used for non-destructive testing of these parts. However, to meet the aerodynamic requirements of aerospace vehicles, each surface of wing rudder products consists of several different planes. During ultrasonic C-scanning, each plane needs to be leveled, which is complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, deviations in leveling accuracy can lead to poor imaging results. Therefore, during ultrasonic C-scanning, the lightweight wing rudder surfaces must first be leveled. Existing leveling devices are simple wedges, relying entirely on manual leveling, resulting in low efficiency and requiring repeated adjustments to meet inspection requirements. Therefore, given that lightweight rudder surfaces of the same model are mass-produced with relatively fixed structural dimensions, it is urgent to design and manufacture a leveling device to simplify the leveling process and improve inspection efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above analysis, the present invention aims to provide a lightweight wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan detection leveling system and detection method to solve the problem of low detection efficiency caused by repeated manual leveling in the prior art.

[0005] This invention is mainly achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] On one hand, the present invention provides a wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan detection leveling system, the leveling system including a leveling device for keeping the plane to be tested of the wing rudder parallel to a reference plane; the leveling device includes a frame and a support block; the frame is used to support the wing rudder to be tested, the support block is located at the bottom of the frame and serves to support the frame so as to keep the frame stable; the top surface of the frame is provided with a slot for placing the clip on the wing rudder to be tested.

[0007] Optionally, the leveling system includes multiple leveling devices, the number of which is twice the number of single-sided planes of the wing rudder to be inspected, with each plane corresponding to one leveling device, so that after the wing rudder to be inspected is placed on the leveling device, the plane is parallel to the reference plane.

[0008] Optionally, the frame is a hollow ring.

[0009] Optionally, the frame is made of rust-resistant material.

[0010] Optionally, the frame is made of titanium alloy or aluminum alloy.

[0011] Optionally, the tensile strength of the frame is not less than 300 MPa.

[0012] Optionally, the thickness of the frame is greater than or equal to the thickness at the point where the thickness of the rudder to be tested is at its maximum.

[0013] Optionally, the number of leveling devices is 6.

[0014] Optionally, the number of slots is equal to the number of clips on the wing fin to be inspected.

[0015] Optionally, the width of each side of the frame is not exactly the same.

[0016] Optionally, there are two or more support blocks, which are distributed at the bottom of the frame, and the height of the support blocks is adjustable.

[0017] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for detecting the welding quality between the internal honeycomb structure of the control surface and the control surface skin, which is accomplished using the above-mentioned leveling system and includes the following steps:

[0018] Step 1: Make a leveling device;

[0019] Step 2: Place the leveling device corresponding to the plane to be tested into the water tank;

[0020] Step 3: Place the wing rudder to be inspected on the leveling device;

[0021] Step 4: Perform ultrasound C-scan detection;

[0022] Step 5: Determine whether the internal honeycomb structure of the rudder surface and the rudder surface skin are properly welded based on the scanned image.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. Addressing the technical problems of existing leveling devices, which are simple wedges relying entirely on manual leveling, resulting in low efficiency and requiring repeated adjustments to meet testing requirements, this invention innovatively designs a leveling system for wing surfaces with specific structures (a wing surface with three planes (A1, A2, and A3) on one side, where plane A2 is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the thickness of the wing surface at A2 is greater than that at planes A1 and A3; when the wing surface is placed on the horizontal plane, plane A2 is in contact with the horizontal plane, while planes A1 and A3 are not). This leveling system includes six leveling devices, each corresponding to a plane to be tested. This ensures that when the wing surface is placed on the leveling device, the plane to be tested is parallel to the reference plane, allowing for ultrasonic C-scan testing without repeated manual adjustments, significantly improving testing efficiency and accuracy. Furthermore, this single leveling system can meet the leveling requirements of different planes on the wing surface products being tested.

[0025] 2. The detection method of this invention uses a dedicated leveling device corresponding to each plane to be detected, eliminating the need for repeated manual adjustments and significantly improving detection efficiency and accuracy. Furthermore, when performing ultrasonic C-scan detection on the wing and rudder, the detection method of this invention only requires probe leveling when detecting the first plane; changing the leveling device to detect subsequent planes does not require re-leveling the probe, further improving detection efficiency.

[0026] 3. Based on the position of the wing rudder product clamp, the present invention sets a corresponding clamping groove on the frame of the leveling device, which not only helps to quickly determine the product assembly position, but also plays a role in fixing the product to be inspected, avoiding relative sliding during the inspection process.

[0027] 4. When performing ultrasonic C-scan testing on the surface to be inspected, this invention only requires selecting the corresponding leveling device and aligning the position of the wing rudder head to be inspected with the slot of the leveling device to achieve leveling of the surface to be inspected. The operation is simple and the leveling is accurate, which greatly improves the leveling efficiency and effectively shortens the overall inspection cycle of the product.

[0028] 5. By processing the leveling device into a hollow structure, the present invention facilitates testing and reduces weight and material costs.

[0029] 6. By setting the height of the support blocks to be adjustable and distributing multiple support blocks at the bottom of the frame, the present invention facilitates quick and stable leveling of the device and improves detection efficiency.

[0030] In this invention, the above-described technical solutions can be combined with each other to achieve more preferred combinations. Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the following description, and some advantages may become apparent from the description or be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained from what is particularly pointed out in the description and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

[0032] Figure 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the lightweight wing rudder control surface of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 1(b) is a bottom view of Figure 1(a);

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the leveling device of the present invention.

[0035] Figure label:

[0036] 1-Frame; 2-Support block; AI-Card head; A1-I1-Card slot. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this application and are used together with the embodiments of the present invention to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] A specific embodiment of the present invention provides a lightweight wing rudder ultrasonic C-scan detection and leveling system, which is used to meet the leveling requirements of different planes of wing rudder products with specific structures.

[0040] The control surface of the wing rudder to be inspected includes two sides, namely surface A and surface B. Each side of the control surface is composed of N connected planes. Multiple outwardly protruding clips are provided around the outer surface along the thickness direction of the control surface. The shape and size of the multiple clips are not exactly the same, and there are at least 3 clips on each plane.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), taking N as an example, the A-side of the wing rudder under test includes three planes: A1, A2, and A3. Surface A2 is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the thickness of the wing rudder at surface A2 is greater than the thickness of the wing rudder at surfaces A1 and A3. After the wing rudder is placed on the horizontal plane, surface A2 is in contact with the horizontal plane, while surfaces A1 and A3 are not in contact with the horizontal plane.

[0042] Specifically, a chuck AH is provided around the outer surface along the thickness direction of the rudder surface. Chucks A and I are located on surface A1, chucks B and H are located at the junction of surface A1 and surface A2, chuck C is located at the junction of surface A2 and surface A3, and chucks D, E, F and G are located on surface A3.

[0043] The leveling system includes a leveling device for keeping the plane to be tested of the wing rudder parallel to a reference plane. For example, the reference plane is the bottom of a water tank.

[0044] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the leveling device includes a frame 1 and a support block 2. The frame 1 primarily supports the wing and rudder to be inspected. The support block 2 is located at the bottom of the frame 1, supporting the frame 1 to maintain its stability.

[0045] The frame 1 is a hollow ring with its bottom surface parallel to the horizontal plane. The top surface of the frame 1 is provided with slots A1-H1 for placing the clips on the wing rudder to be inspected. The shape and size of the ring are adapted to the outline structure and size of the wing rudder to be inspected, and the shape and size of the slots on the frame 1 are adapted to the shape and size of the corresponding clips, so that after the wing rudder to be inspected is placed on the leveling device, the clips AH are respectively placed in slots A1-H1, and the wing rudder to be inspected is located in the annular space.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the thickness of frame 1 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the rudder to be tested at its maximum thickness. In this embodiment, this is the thickness of the rudder at plane A2.

[0047] Depending on the size of the mounting clip, the width of each side of frame 1 is not exactly the same. Specifically, it is determined by the size of the mounting clip to be placed on that side to meet the mounting requirements of the rudder.

[0048] It should be noted that, in addition to meeting the leveling requirements, the leveling device must also possess a certain tensile strength based on the weight of the wing and rudder to be tested. For example, the tensile strength should be no less than 300 MPa to ensure that deformation does not occur during use, thereby affecting the leveling accuracy.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the leveling device is processed into a hollow structure, which facilitates testing and reduces weight and saves material costs.

[0050] Considering that the leveling device is used underwater, in a preferred embodiment, the leveling device is made of rust-resistant material, such as high-temperature alloy, titanium alloy, or aluminum alloy. Alternatively, the leveling device can be treated to prevent rust, such as by applying a coating to its surface.

[0051] Specifically, the number of leveling devices is twice the number of planes on one side of the wing rudder to be inspected. Taking a wing rudder to be inspected with three planes on one side as an example (i.e., N=3), the number of leveling devices is 6. Each plane corresponds to one leveling device, so that when the wing rudder to be inspected is placed on the leveling device, that plane is parallel to the reference plane.

[0052] The depth of the slot will be explained below using the leveling device corresponding to surface A1 as an example.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the card heads A, H, I and B are located in plane A1. In order to ensure that plane A1 is parallel to the horizontal plane after the wing rudder to be inspected is placed on the frame, according to the geometric principle of "three points determine a plane", it is necessary to control the depth of the card slots corresponding to three of the four card heads A, H, I and B.

[0054] Taking the selection of card headers A, H, and B as an example:

[0055] The depth of the slot A1 corresponding to card head A = the thickness of the frame - (the height of card head B - the height of card head A)

[0056] The height of chuck B refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck B from the horizontal plane, and the height of chuck A refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck A from the horizontal plane; the heights of chuck B and chuck A are referenced to the same horizontal plane.

[0057] The depth of the slot I1 corresponding to the card head I = the thickness of the frame - (the height of card head B - the height of card head I)

[0058] The height of chuck B refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck B from the horizontal plane, and the height of chuck I refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck I from the horizontal plane; the heights of chuck B and chuck I are referenced to the same horizontal plane.

[0059] The depth of slot B1 corresponding to card head B, the depth of slot C1 corresponding to card head C, and the depth of slot H1 corresponding to card head H are all equal to the thickness of the rudder at surface A2.

[0060] There are no special requirements for the depth of the slots D1, E1, F1, and G1 on the leveling device corresponding to surface A1, as long as the corresponding card head can be placed in the slot and it does not affect the parallelism of surface A1 with the horizontal plane after the wing rudder to be tested is placed on the leveling device.

[0061] The following describes the depth of the slots on the leveling device corresponding to surface A3. Slots C, D, E, F, and G are located within surface A3. To ensure that surface A3 is parallel to the horizontal plane after the wing rudder to be inspected is placed on the frame, based on the geometric principle that "three points determine a plane," the depth of the slots corresponding to three of the five slots C, D, E, F, and G needs to be controlled.

[0062] Taking the selection of card headers D, F, and C as an example:

[0063] The depth of the slot D1 corresponding to the card head D = the thickness of the frame - (the height of the card head C - the height of the card head D)

[0064] The height of chuck C refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck C from the horizontal plane, and the height of chuck D refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck D from the horizontal plane; the heights of chuck C and chuck D are referenced to the same horizontal plane.

[0065] The depth of the slot F1 corresponding to the card head F = the thickness of the frame - (the height of the card head C - the height of the card head F)

[0066] The height of chuck C refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck C from the horizontal plane, and the height of chuck F refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck F from the horizontal plane; the heights of chuck C and chuck F are referenced to the same horizontal plane.

[0067] In one possible implementation, there are two or more support blocks, which are distributed at the bottom of the frame, and the height of the support blocks is adjustable. This embodiment, by making the height of the support blocks adjustable and by distributing multiple support blocks at the bottom of the frame, facilitates rapid and stable leveling of the device, thereby improving detection efficiency.

[0068] Example 2

[0069] The present invention also provides a method for detecting the welding quality between the internal honeycomb structure of the control surface and the control surface skin, comprising the following steps:

[0070] Step 1: Based on the structure of the wing and rudder to be inspected, fabricate a leveling device. This includes the following steps:

[0071] Step 11: Based on the wing and rudder profile and dimensions to be inspected, design the frame structure and dimensions of the leveling device. This includes the following steps:

[0072] Step 111: Determine the specific shape and size of the hollow ring of the frame based on the outline structure and size of the wing rudder to be inspected.

[0073] Step 112: Determine the width of each side of the frame according to the position, shape and size of the wing rudder clip to be inspected, so as to ensure that the size of each clip slot can meet the mounting requirements of the corresponding clip.

[0074] Step 113: Determine the frame thickness based on the thickness at the point of maximum thickness of the wing fin under test. Specifically, the frame thickness is greater than or equal to the thickness at the point of maximum thickness of the wing fin under test. In this embodiment, this is the thickness of the wing fin at plane A2.

[0075] Step 114: Determine the depth of the slot corresponding to the card head. Taking the slot on the leveling device corresponding to surface A1 as an example, the depth of slot A1 corresponding to card head A is calculated according to the following formula:

[0076] The depth of the slot A1 corresponding to card head A = the thickness of the frame - (the height of card head B - the height of card head A)

[0077] The height of chuck B refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck B from the horizontal plane, and the height of chuck A refers to the height of the upper surface of chuck A from the horizontal plane; the heights of chuck B and chuck A are referenced to the same horizontal plane.

[0078] The formula for calculating the depth of the card slot I1 corresponding to card head I is similar to the formula for calculating the depth of the card slot A1 corresponding to card head A, except that the height of card head A is replaced by the height of card head I.

[0079] Step 115: Using a method similar to Step 114, obtain the depth of the grooves on the leveling devices corresponding to surfaces B1 and B3 on the other side of surface A3 and the control surface to be inspected. The depth of the grooves on the leveling devices corresponding to surfaces A2 and B2 is equal to the thickness of the wing rudder at surfaces A2 and B2, respectively.

[0080] Step 12: Process the frame and the slots on the frame according to the shape and size determined in Step 11, and install an adjustable height support block at the bottom of each leveling device.

[0081] Step 2: Before ultrasonic C-scan testing, place the leveling device corresponding to the plane to be tested into the water tank. Then, place the clamping head AI of the wing rudder to be tested into the clamping slot A1-I1 of the leveling device, using the bottom of the water tank as the reference plane. At this time, the plane to be tested is parallel to the bottom of the water tank. Adjust the height of the support block to stabilize the leveling device. Fill the water tank with clean water so that the water level meets the requirements for ultrasonic C-scan testing of the wing rudder.

[0082] Step 3: Adjust the angle of the ultrasonic C-scan probe. When the echo amplitude on the upper surface of the rudder under test is the highest, the probe's excitation beam is exactly perpendicular to the plane of the rudder under test. When performing ultrasonic C-scan testing on the rudder, probe leveling is only required when testing the first plane. No further leveling is needed when testing the remaining planes after changing the leveling device. Step 4: Set the scanning parameters according to the testing requirements and perform ultrasonic C-scan testing on surfaces A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, and B3 of the rudder surface. Ultrasonic testing of the rudder surface mainly focuses on the welding quality between the internal honeycomb structure and the rudder skin. Therefore, surfaces A and B are tested separately to check the welding quality between the honeycomb ends and the skin, obtaining the corresponding rudder C-scan images.

[0083] Step 5: Based on the colors of the obtained wing rudder C-scan images, determine whether the internal honeycomb structure of the rudder surface is well welded to the rudder surface skin. Specifically, unwelded and welded areas will display different image colors.

[0084] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wing sail ultrasonic C-scan inspection levelling system, characterized by, The leveling system comprises leveling devices for keeping the plane to be detected of the wing rudder parallel to the reference plane; The leveling device comprises a frame and a supporting block; the frame is used for supporting the wing rudder to be detected, and the supporting block is arranged at the bottom of the frame to support the frame and keep the frame stable; The top surface of the frame is provided with clamping grooves for clamping the clamping heads on the wing rudder to be detected; The rudder surface of the wing rudder to be detected comprises two opposite surfaces, and each side of the rudder surface is formed by three planes; The wing rudder to be detected has three planes A1, A2 and A3 on one side, the A2 plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, the thickness of the wing rudder at the A2 plane is greater than the thickness of the wing rudder at the A1 plane and the A3 plane, and after the wing rudder is placed on the horizontal plane, the A2 plane is in contact with the horizontal plane, and the A1 plane and the A3 plane are not in contact with the horizontal plane; The outer surface along the thickness direction of the rudder surface is provided with clamping heads A-H, the clamping heads A and I are arranged on the A1 plane, the clamping heads B and H are arranged at the joint of the A1 plane and the A2 plane, the clamping head C is arranged at the joint of the A2 plane and the A3 plane, and the clamping heads D, E, F and G are arranged on the A3 plane; The leveling system comprises a plurality of leveling devices, the number of the leveling devices is twice the number of the planes on one side of the wing rudder to be detected, and each plane corresponds to one leveling device, so that after the wing rudder to be detected is placed on the leveling device, the plane is parallel to the reference plane; The frame is a hollow ring, the bottom surface of the frame is parallel to the horizontal plane, the top surface of the frame is provided with clamping grooves A1-H1 for clamping the clamping heads on the wing rudder to be detected, the shape and size of the ring are adapted to the contour structure and size of the wing rudder to be detected, and the shape and size of the clamping grooves on the frame are adapted to the shape and size of the corresponding clamping heads, so that after the wing rudder to be detected is placed on the leveling device, the clamping heads A-H are respectively placed in the clamping grooves A1-H1, and the wing rudder to be detected is located in the ring space.

2. Levelling system according to claim 1, characterized in that The material of the frame is a rust-proof material.

3. Levelling system according to claim 2, characterized in that The material of the frame is titanium alloy or aluminum alloy.

4. The leveling system of claim 2, wherein, The tensile strength of the frame is not less than 300 MPa.

5. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein, The thickness of the frame is greater than or equal to the maximum thickness of the wing rudder to be detected.

6. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein, The number of the leveling devices is six.

7. The leveling system of claim 1, wherein, The number of the clamping grooves is equal to the number of the clamping heads on the wing rudder to be detected.

8. A method of inspecting the quality of a weld between a honeycomb structure inside a control surface and a control surface skin, characterized by, The leveling system is completed by using any one of claims 1-7, comprising the following steps: Step 1: making a leveling device; Step 2: placing the leveling device corresponding to the plane to be detected into a water tank; Step 3: placing the wing rudder to be detected on the leveling device; Step 4: performing ultrasonic C-scan detection; Step 5: judging whether the welding between the internal honeycomb structure of the rudder surface and the rudder surface skin is good according to the scan image.

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