Method to detect the bolt thread defect in the aerospace vehicle with ultrasonic image and its implementation

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to solve the problems of ambiguous localization, large calculation, poor real-time and limited applicability of bolt thread defect detection. Design/methodology/approach First, the acquired ultrasound image is used to acquire the larger area of the image, which is set as the compliant threaded area. Second, based on the determined coordinates of the center point in each selected region, the set of coordinates on the left and right sides of the bolts is acquired by DBSCAN method with parameters eps and MinPts, which is determined by data set dimension D and the k-distance curve. Finally, the defect detection boundary line fitting is completed using the acquired coordinate set, and the relationship between the distance from each detection point to the curve and d, which is obtained from the measurement of the standard bolt sample with known thread defect, is used to locate the bolt thread defect simultaneously. Findings In this paper, the bolt thread defect detection method with ultrasonic image is proposed; meanwhile, the ultrasonic image acquisition system is designed to complete the real-time localization of bolt thread defects. Originality/value The detection results show that the method can effectively detect bolt thread defects and locate the bolt thread defect location with wide applicability, small calculation and good real-time performance.