NDT Couplant Saves Time and Material Costs when Inspecting Composite Materials
February 2021
Using traditional acrylic materials for aircraft inspections can have a tendency to cause issues that ultimately end up costing you time and accuracy. Some examples of this might be maintaining coupling between your probe and the part, issues with the delay scuffing the surface of the part, and the mess of gel cleanup afterward. These examples are just referencing the easy-to-reach portions of the aircraft without even mentioning the inverted inspections under wing and the belly.
“When I first switched to Aqualene™, it was a night and day difference.” says Brandon Phillips, NDT Technician (Level III) FAA: DAR-F. “The acoustical characteristics allowed me to decrease the pulser and gain, significantly improving the signal to noise ratio in my inspections for an out-of-autoclave composite aircraft company. Improving the signal to noise ratio decreased my evaluation time by filtering out a lot of hash or transient signals in the scan data.”
When I first switched to Aqualene™, it was a night and day difference.
– Brandon Phillips,
NDT Level III
Using Aqualene™ as a coupling solution for aircraft inspections allows you to add these savings to your inspections:
- Consumable material by switching from gel to tap water,
- time performing your inspections,
- time evaluating the data,
- and time cleaning up.
About Innovation Polymers:
Innovation Polymers is a leader in acoustic capable polymer solutions for the non-destructive testing industry, providing high-quality products and services to clients across a range of industries. With a commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, the company has the capability to develop a wide range of unique sound coupling polymeric media and has earned a reputation as a trusted partner in the industry.