66 THERMOGRAPHY SYSTEM FOR COMPOSITE INSPECTION PROJECT: The Department of the Air Force is seeking a field-level, quantitative, thermal imaging NDI capability for inspection of bonded composite laminate and honeycomb structures and repairs on USAF aircraft. This capability will be provided through a multi-phase program that evaluates commercially available thermography systems in structured experiments and field evaluations (to be conducted by USAF NDI staff). Competitive evaluations of commercial systems will commence in the fall of 1997. These evaluations will be conducted by Sandia National Laboratories at the FAA Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center in Albuquerque, NM. Field evaluations will occur in the spring of 1998 at an Air Force base to be determined at a later date. System procurement will occur in the summer of 1998. This procurement will be for a single system, but will involve the creation of a National Stock Number (NSN) for future procurements. However, this does not guarantee that the USAF will procure any additional systems. REQUESTS FOR PARTICIPATION: Requests for participation must be received by September 5. Requests should be faxed to Mike Valley at (505) 843-8760, or sent via e-mail to mtvalle@sandia.gov. Verbal requests will not be accepted. Requests for participation should provide the name, phone number, and mailing address of a point of contact. In response to a participation request, each prospective participant will be provided with an information package containing evaluation criteria, a detailed experiment plan, and forms to fill out providing information that demonstrates that the proposed system meets the minimum participation requirements. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION: To be allowed to participate in this competitive system evaluation, the prospective participant must have a fully integrated thermography system that has (a) demonstrated composite inspection capabilities (preferably on boron-epoxy and graphite-epoxy composites, and aluminum honeycomb structures); (b) quantitative (i.e., provide tools to identify the type, location, and size of flaws in the inspection image) or enhanced qualitative analysis capabilities to minimize subjective data interpretation; (c) demonstrated suitability for use by level II qualified USAF NDI personnel on operational aircraft in field and depot environments; and (d) commercial manufacturing and technical support capabilities (NOTE: A letter of agreement between the participant and a company that can provide these capabilities may be considered acceptable for newly developed systems). STRUCTURED EXPERIMENTS: Each candidate system will be required to inspect multiple real and simulated specimens representing typical inspection requirements for an F-15 rudder, C-130 underwing skin doubler repair, C-141 wing plank, and C-141 engine cowling. Flaws to be detected will include disbonds, delaminations, and fluid ingress (water and hydraulic fluid in F-15 rudder honeycomb). The anticipated time to perform all inspection tasks, including data analysis and reporting, is two to three 8 hour days. All test results must be provided to the test monitor prior to leaving the test facility. Each experiment will be video taped for detailed assessment of system usability and other human factors. It is anticipated that no system will be capable of finding all of the flaws in every inspection test. PARTICIPANTS IN THE STRUCTURED EXPERIMENTS WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR ANY COSTS INCURRED. FIELD EVALUATION: Only one system will be selected for field evaluation. The selected vendor will be provided with a list of recommended and possibly required system changes based on human factors assessments conducted during the structured experiments. The selected vendor will be required to assist in the development of NDI procedures and a training course. Further, the selected vendor will be required to assist in a one week (estimated) training course for selected USAF NDI staff and to support a 30-45 day field evaluation on operational USAF aircraft using vendor supplied equipment. The field evaluation is to be conducted by the trained USAF NDI staff. THE SELECTED VENDOR WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR FIELD EVALUATION TASKS USING A FIXED PRICE CONTRACT FOR AN AMOUNT TO BE NEGOTIATED AFTER SYSTEM SELECTION. Vendor support for the field evaluation conducted at an Air Force base must be provided by U.S. citizens. INSPECTION SYSTEM PROCUREMENT: A single system will be purchased at a price to be negotiated after the completion of the field evaluation. E-MAIL: Dr. Michael T. Valley, Phone (505) 843-8722, mtvalle@sandia.gov.

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