Monitoring of Hidden Corrosion Growth in Aircraft Structures Based on D-Sight Inspections and Image Processing

Abstract

Hidden corrosion in aircraft structures, not detected on time, can have a significant influence on aircraft structural integrity and lead to catastrophic consequences. According to the widely accepted damage tolerance philosophy, non-destructive inspections are performed to assess structural safety and reliability. One of the inspection techniques used for such an inspection is the optical D-Sight technique. Since D-Sight is used primarily as a qualitative method, it is difficult to assess the evolution of a structural condition simply by comparing the inspection results. In the following study, the method to monitor hidden corrosion growth is proposed on the basis of historical data from D-Sight inspections. The method is based on geometric transforms and segmentation techniques to remove the influence of measurement conditions, such as the angle of observation or illumination, and to compare corroded regions for a sequence of D-Sight images acquired during historical inspections. The analysis of the proposed method was performed on the sequences of D-Sight images acquired from inspections of Polish military aircraft in the period from 2002 to 2017. The proposed method represents an effective tool for monitoring hidden corrosion growth in metallic aircraft structures based on a sequence of D-Sight images.