An electronic nose that can detect flaws in bonded composite aircraft panels, which could compromise the solidity of the entire structure. This is what a multidisciplinary team from the ENEA Portici Research Center developed as part of the European project ComBoNDT (Quality assurance concepts for adhesive bonding of aircraft composite structures by extended non-destructive testing), funded by the European research program H2020 for the development of technologies for the safety of modern aircraft extensively using carbon fiber materials.

"Thanks to sensor technologies and the use of artificial intelligence, our team has developed a sophisticated nose capable of assessing, even quantitatively, even very limited contamination of composite surfaces, which could greatly affect the strength of bonding", Saverio De Vito, ENEA researcher and project scientific director, explained. “The nose has a mobile detection head adapting to surfaces with different curvatures and could also be mounted on a robotized head. The project focused on increasing the TRL[1] of what developed over the years, in order to be able to analyze carbon fiber parts from aircrafts, ”De Vito went on.

Many components of modern aircraft, from fuselages to rudders, are assembled by gluing carbon fiber panels together. These materials make it possible to create lighter aerostructures than those in metal, with a consequent significant reduction in fuel consumption and environmental impact. For these reasons, there is an increasing demand for technologies that guarantee the quality of bonding and the entire assembly of aircraft both during production and maintenance.

"The ENEA team has also dealt with of all aspects of the study, from the chemical interaction of contaminating species with CFRP panels to their detection," Mara Miglietta,  ENEA researcher in the team, concluded. The electronic nose was among the best tools for detecting release agents and hydraulic oils during the final tests held in Bremen at the headquarters of the German institute Fraunhofer IFAM, which coordinates the project, arousing the interest of European small and medium enterprises specialized in aircraft maintenance.

For more information please contact:

saverio.devito@enea.it Photovoltaic and Sensor Systems Laboratory and Applications

[1] Technology Readiness Level: internationally accepted index for estimating the maturity of technologies for market launch)