Abstract
Radomes protecting sensitive radar, navigational, and communications equipment of, e.g., aircraft, are strongly exposed to the environment and have to withstand harsh weather conditions and potential impacts. Besides their significance to the structural integrity of the radomes, it is often crucial to optimize the composite structures for best possible radio performance. Hence, there exists a significant interest in non-destructive testing techniques, which can be used for defect inspection of radomes in field use as well as for quality inspection during the manufacturing process. Contactless millimeter-wave and terahertz imaging techniques provide millimeter resolution and have the potential to address both application scenarios. We report on our development of a three-dimensional (3D) terahertz imaging system for radome inspection during industrial manufacturing processes. The system was designed for operation within a machining center for radome manufacturing. It simultaneously gathers terahertz depth information in adjacent frequency ranges, from 70 to 110 GHz and from 110 to 170 GHz by combining two frequency modulated continuous-wave terahertz sensing units into a single measurement device. Results from spiraliform image acquisition of a radome test sample demonstrate the successful integration of the measurement system.
Highlights
Contactless microwave, millimeter wave, and terahertz techniques have proven to be highly suitable for nondestructive testing of glass-fiber reinforced composites [1,2,3,4,5,6]
A machining head moves the sensor headsensor at a fixed along thealong surface the radome, which inwhich turn in is rotated terahertz headdistance at a fixedperpendicular distance perpendicular theofsurface of the radome, turn around its longitudinal axis
We have developed a terahertz inspection system for operation in connection with a machining center for radome manufacturing
Summary
Contactless microwave, millimeter wave, and terahertz techniques have proven to be highly suitable for nondestructive testing of glass-fiber reinforced composites [1,2,3,4,5,6]. May vary in industrial production, flexibility in respect image resolution, penetration depth developed a system, which combines twowhich different frequency-modulated continuous-wave iswe required. We developed a system, combines two different frequency-modulated terahertz (FMCW)terahertz sensing units within a single sensor head. The beams of both measurement branches are linearly receivers byand the are directional couplers Theby beams of both measurement are linearly polarized polarized overlayed collinearly a polarization wire grid to branches simultaneously acquire two and are overlayed collinearly by a polarization wire grid to simultaneously acquire two terahertz terahertz images at the two different center frequencies of 100 and 150 GHz. The horn antennas are Photonics 2018, 2018, 5, 5, 11. A machining head moves the sensor headsensor at a fixed along thealong surface the radome, which inwhich turn in is rotated terahertz headdistance at a fixedperpendicular distance perpendicular theofsurface of the radome, turn around its longitudinal axis In this way, fullway, three-dimensional image ofimage the radome is acquired. Synthetic bandwidth of 100 GHz clearly resolves the two reflection peaks
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