NASA SBIR 2010 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
NUMERICAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LLC
120 ANNIE COOK WAY
Roswell, GA 30076 - 5844
(404) 840-2378

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Yuriy G Nikishkov
yuri.nikishkov@ae.gatech.edu
120 ANNIE COOK WAY
Roswell, GA 30076 - 5844
(404) 563-3773

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 2
End: 6

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
We propose the development of a validated analysis tool to characterize manufacturing defects and structural damage in composite parts. The objective of Phase I is to develop and verify a technology for accurate characterization of manufacturing defects and structural damage in fatigue-critical fiberglass/epoxy and carbon/epoxy composite structures based on three-dimensional micro-focus CT measurements. Key requirements for the diagnostic technology include: (a) ability to generate accurate subsurface geometry data for a composite structure with manufacturing defects (such as wrinkles and voids) and structural damage (matrix cracks and delaminations) based on the micro-focus CT measurements; and (b) automated ability to convert the geometry data into three-dimensional structural finite element models for assessment of the effects of defects and structural damage.

Ability to measure the manufacturing defects and structural damage and understand their effects is a key to accurate assessment of part condition and condition based maintenance for composite fatigue-critical, flight-critical components and structure. Automated interpretation of nondestructive measurement of subsurface defects and structural damage is required for accurate structural diagnostics. Defect and damage measurement aided by rudimentary tools such as a ruler or a caliper could result in unacceptable measurement variation and affect the objectivity at making disposition decision of the affected part. Tools for rotorcraft diagnostics and condition based maintenance developed in the proposed effort will provide a mechanism to merge state-of-the-art in the nondestructive measurement and the durability and damage tolerance methods for composites and the implementation of the algorithms in commercial software.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Aircraft flight-critical composite parts including rotor blade spars and yokes for all commercial and military rotary-wing aircraft platforms.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
General tools for structural diagnostics and condition based maintenance of aerospace and non-aerospace structures. In particular, aircraft fatigue-critical, flight-critical composite parts including rotor blade spars and yokes for all commercial and military rotary-wing aircraft platforms are included. Bell Helicopters, Boeing, and Sikorsky Aircraft, contacted the Numerical Technology Company to express strong demand in the technology proposed.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Composites Diagnostics/Prognostics Models & Simulations (see also Testing & Evaluation) Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE; NDT) Simulation & Modeling Software Tools (Analysis, Design)