Distributed system for quality control of aerospace structures

Aerospace is one of the most safety-conscious industries, in both the manufacturing process and in-service inspection and maintenance. Aircraft and spacecraft disasters are highly visible lo the public and are expensive in money and in human life. For this reason, nondestructive testing (NDT) is routinely applied both during development and to aircraft in service. The increasing use of new materials, such as carbon-fiber composites, laminates, and honeycombs, and the use of adhesive bonding of both metallic and nonmetallic parts have created new challenges for NDT.