CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF NDT FIELD INSPECTION SYSTEM

Efforts to effectively determine the life of a cannon barrel have now been extended to developing a conceptual design for a nondestructive testing system to evaluate the condition of gun barrels in the field. This paper describes the development of an autonomous vehicle capable of traveling the length of a large caliber cannon barrel to scan the interior surface for cracks and flaws that would indicate that the barrel needs to be decommissioned. This robotic vehicle carries a bore scope to provide visual inspection and an ultrasonic transducer (UT) with which to examine the barrel. The UT data collected is stored on a computer for both real-time analysis and statistical computational usages. The data and images collected from the bore scope are then used to monitor and predict fatigue related stress cracks in the barrel material. The system is designed to he portable and to he capable of being used in remote locations where these weapons are deployed. The non-destructive testing capabilities of this equipment will help to make the large caliber cannon barrels both safer and more reliable. The increased number of inspections possible with this portable field system will improve the crack detection process and thereby increase the safety, of the weapons for the soldier/operators, as well as efficiently and effectively monitor the usable life associated with large caliber cannons.