| Canadian Forces (CF) CF 188 Hornet fighter aircraft have been plagued with water ingress and related damages in the composite flight control surfaces. Water ingress is found predominately in rudders; hence, water ingress detection in rudders is of foremost importance and is the focus of this study.; Although, in principle, neutron radiography is considered to be the superior NDT method for detecting water ingress in flight control surfaces, the effectiveness of the system has never been quantified. A quantitative measure of system effectiveness or system reliability provides a methodical approach to evaluate system capability.; A methodical and intensive study of four techniques was carried out in accordance with the Nondestructive Evaluation System Reliability Assessment Handbook (MIL-HDBK-1823) to generate Probability of Detection (POD) curves to assess the reliabilities of the NDT systems for detecting water inside rudders. The study concluded that, using the neutron radiology system at RMC, neutron radiography was the most reliable NDT method employed by the CF and that neutron radiography could detect a water volume as low as 6.85 muL for 90% of the time with 95% confidence. Reliability of neutron radiography for water detection in the rudder was quantified at 6.85 muL, compared to 8.27 muL for neutron radioscopy, 7.33 muL for IR thermography, and 28.2 muL for X-radiography. Furthermore, this study has revealed a common trend for water entry and migration in rudders. |
