CSIR develops non-destructive technique to detect damage in aircraft

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) framework to detect damage in aircraft components by using ultrasonic guided waves, offering a faster and more cost effective method over conventional techniques.

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This will improve aircraft safety and maintenance through reliable damage detection and will benefit not only the civil aviation sector but also be useful for the armed forces in their day-to-day functioning as well as assessments for life extension programmes.

Researchers at CSIR's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) demonstrated the use of low-frequency guided wave-based damage detection in aircraft structures.

They found that significant wavefield interruptions indicated damage presence in a component while pristine structures showed smooth wave patterns. Amplified wave mode responses confirmed damage detection accuracy and effective localisation of multiple affected zones validated the robustness of the detection framework.