Wing Skin Topology Verification
challenge
The objective was to come up with a solution that is able to verify that the complex milled surface and thickness of jumbo jet wing skins meet manufacturing tolerances. Bowing of less than 2 inches is allowable, but accuracy better than 0.02 inches must be maintained in a factory environment with large temperature swings. The skins can be 10 feet tall by 110 feet long and vary in thickness between 0.25 and 2 inches.
solution
Two vertical towers made from composite materials were secured to a common bed that could traverse the length of the skin panel. Each tower has distance sensors that move vertically on a servo rail. Since the combined inaccuracies of the overall traversing structure and the measurement system must be less than 0.02 inches, the solution needs real-time knowledge of each tower’s pitch and roll relative to long X scan axis, which is then added to previously mapped relationships. Redundant multipoint information is obtained at different angles, then averaged together to obtain one reading.
outcomes and benefits
Measurement accuracy better than 0.02 inches, Scan rate of 4 inches per second, Capable of scanning skins up to 10 feet tall by 110 feet long
Wing Skin Topology Verification