Vibrant Receives NDT Innovation Award for Revolutionary Resonance Testing with Collins Aerospace
October 3, 2022 – Albuquerque, N.M. – Vibrant is thrilled to announce it has won the 18th annual Nondestructive Testing Innovation Award. The award recognizes Vibrant’s innovative nondestructive testing (NDT) work with Collins Aerospace on the aerospace supplier’s Novel Resonance Inspection of Commercial Aircraft Wheels project. The award, co-sponsored by Airlines for America and SAE International, was presented to Vibrant at the A4A NDT Forum in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 29, 2022.
“It was a privilege for Vibrant to work with such an accomplished and diverse team to move the state of NDT forward,” says Vibrant Vice President of Technology Leanne Jauriqui. “Better inspections, reduced environmental impact, and a solid implementation of advanced technology is what the industry asks of us, and that is what this team delivered.”
In December of 2021, Collins Aerospace published a service letter announcing their intentions to provide an acceptable alternative to florescent penetrant inspection (FPI) for a minimum of 28 aircraft wheel half part numbers. After years of comparison of NDT results from more than 1,200 individual parts, Collins Aerospace determined resonance inspection of NDT had equivalent sensitivity to traditional methods and was economically viable in the MRO environment. During this evaluation, Collins observed resonance inspection reduced greenhouse gases and hazardous waste streams while also reducing false rejection rates. As a result, Collins revised its wheel and brake NDT manual and component maintenance manuals to include PCRT and the relevant ASTM Standard Practices for resonance inspection, and issued part number specific service letters for the affected wheel part numbers. The first production resonance wheel inspections took place on May 11, 2022, at the Collins Aerospace Louisville Service Center.
This is Vibrant’s third A4A award for NDT innovation. Previously, it received the FAA-ATA Better Way award for the application of process compensated resonant testing (PCRT) with Delta TechOps in 2010 and the A4A-SAE Better Way Award for PW100 field performance improvement through advanced NDT methods with Pratt & Whitney Canada in 2016.
About Vibrant
Vibrant’s whole part inspection approach is changing how aerospace, automotive, and power generation markets conduct nondestructive testing (NDT). Our revolutionary Process Compensated Resonance Testing (PCRT) measures resonance frequencies through whole parts, allowing customers worldwide to test every part and significantly increase final product quality. PCRT applications range from quality assurance and process capability assessment for OEMs to in-service structural assessment and life monitoring for MRO organizations. With facilities in the U.S. and Europe, Vibrant is AS9100 Rev C and ISO 9001:2008 certified.
For more information visit www.vibrantndt.com.
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