We have developed an ultrasonic array sensor useable for locating air leaks in manned spacecraft and have found that this sensor locates leaks in a 1 m2 plate to within 2 cm. The array sensor directly measures the angular spectrum of the leak-noise-generated ultrasound propagating under the array. This is accomplished with an analysis based on the spatial Fourier-transform of phased array cross-correlations. The direction to the leak is determined from the dominant direction in wavenumber (kx,ky) space. Triangulation from multiple arrays or different positions of one movable array gives the location of the leak. The method is inherently robust both because of the simple processing, and because of the small amount of information being extracted - direction to the leak - from the large amount of data collected - the 63 cross-correlations. The direction to the leak can be found simply and reliably, even in the presence of tall integral stiffeners.
An ultrasonic array sensor for spacecraft leak direction finding
Ein Ultraschall-Arraysensor zur Ortung von Raumfahrzeug-Lecks
Ultrasonics ; 45 , 1-4 ; 121-126
2006
6 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 11 Quellen
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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