Hidden moisture. Visible risk.
Locate moisture inside honeycomb sandwich structures using robotic X-ray inspection, tomosynthesis and photon-counting detector technology. RadalyX provides reliable non-destructive testing (NDT) for composite structures without disassembly.
Is there water trapped inside my honeycomb structure?
Moisture ingress inside CFRP and honeycomb sandwich structures is one of the most challenging inspection problems in aerospace. Water entering honeycomb cells can freeze at high altitude, expand and gradually degrade the bond between the face sheets and the core, reducing structural integrity and potentially leading to costly repairs or even structural failure.
Because the moisture is hidden inside a sealed structure, visual inspection cannot determine its location or extent. Reliable X-ray inspection is essential for evaluating the condition of the component before damage becomes critical.
Let’s look at a real example.
We inspected a CFRP sandwich panel with a Nomex® honeycomb core, where different amounts of water had been introduced into selected cells to simulate real moisture ingress. Using the portable RadalyX robotic X-ray system, we were able to determine not only where the water was located, but also how much water was present and at what depth within the structure.
A conventional 2D X-ray image clearly revealed water-filled honeycomb cells and even allowed an estimate of the amount of water present. However, because all internal structures were projected into a single image, the inspection provided no depth information and made interpretation significantly more difficult.
Using robotic tomosynthesis, RadalyX reconstructed individual focal planes throughout the thickness of the panel. Engineers could distinguish fully and partially filled cells, determine the water level inside individual honeycomb cells and evaluate the distribution of moisture at different depths. The same scan also enabled inspection of the potting compound and internal honeycomb structure, providing substantially more information than conventional radiography alone.
Redefining Industrial X-ray Inspection
- Portable robotic X-ray inspection
- High-resolution X-ray imaging
- Photon-counting detector technology
- Robotic tomosynthesis for depth-resolved inspection
- Inspection without disassembly
- Automated and repeatable scanning
- Designed for large structures that cannot fit inside conventional CT systems
- Ideal for aerospace, composite manufacturing and MRO inspections