STUDY ON SPACECRAFT ON-ORBIT NDE

On-orbit nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is the common method of NASA for the spacecraft structural health monitoring,because the impact of debris and the fatigue cracks will cause serious damages in the structure. The paper established pulsed eddy current (PEC) NDE system based on MR by analyzing the influences of space environment on the traditional NDE methods,the special requirements of space applications and simulation technology. The system worked without scanning,resolved the contradiction between testing resolution and testing depth of traditional eddy current method,and presented the parameters to describe conductive materials damages. The results of experiments conformed that it was feasible to perform inspection in space by using the NDE system established.