초록 ▼

Porosity causing gas-based defects are detected, located, identified, and/or characterized by the use of defect information generated from gas flow data corresponding to gas flow characteristics measured by one or more sensors on a composite part processing piece such as a mold or membrane used duri

Porosity causing gas-based defects are detected, located, identified, and/or characterized by the use of defect information generated from gas flow data corresponding to gas flow characteristics measured by one or more sensors on a composite part processing piece such as a mold or membrane used during a composite manufacturing process. The defect information is generated using techniques including one or more of profiling the gas flow data, fingerprinting, line leak detection, analytical triangulation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A process for locating a porosity-causing gas leak during manufacturing of a composite part, wherein during said manufacturing said part is engaged by a vacuum bag or mould so as to define a flexible non-compartmentalized single volume containing or covering the part and said single volume is eva

1. A process for locating a porosity-causing gas leak during manufacturing of a composite part, wherein during said manufacturing said part is engaged by a vacuum bag or mould so as to define a flexible non-compartmentalized single volume containing or covering the part and said single volume is evacuated to low pressure, and wherein the gas leak is due to a leak associated with the vacuum bag or mould such that atmospheric gas leaks into the single volume, and wherein a plurality of gas conduits cooperate in fluid communication with said vacuum bag or mould for flow of gas through said plurality of gas conduits, and wherein said vacuum bag and mould is mounted so as to engage the part, and wherein a plurality of sensors are coupled in cooperation with said plurality of gas conduits, and wherein said plurality of sensors are coupled in spaced apart array relative to said vacuum bag or mould, and wherein said plurality of sensors are in fluid communication with said single volume between the part and said vacuum bag or mould and wherein said plurality of sensors are adapted to detect and measure at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure, the process comprising: a) evacuating said single volumeb) detecting and measuring said at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure at least during said evacuating of said volume,c) generating gas flow data corresponding to said detecting and measuring of said at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure,d) computing gas leak information relating to one or more of the gas leaks into said volume from said gas flow data by methods chosen from the group consisting of: (i) localizing a leak into the volume using the gas flow data and using the geometry of the part and sensor location information of said plurality of sensors in said array in relation to the part to predict locations of one or more of the gas leaks into the volume by: (a) fitting a curve to the gas flow data for each sensor of said plurality of sensors in said array,(b) identifying a peak in each curve,(c) triangulating on the peaks,(d) predicting the leak location as corresponding to the triangulated location of the peaks,(ii) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) recording a profile over time of the gas flow data for the part,(b) creating and maintaining a historical record of the profile over time of the gas flow data correlated to a physical specification of the part,(c) predicting a location of the one or more gas leaks into the single volume by: (1) comparing said recording with said historical record and locating a matching profile in said historical record matching for said part,(2) determining from said matching profile of said historical record the corresponding leak locations,(iii) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) creating a grid of virtual gas leak locations employing the geometry of the part and locations of the plurality of sensors relative to the part, and for each of the locations calculating at least the profile of the gas flow rate for a predetermined flow rate of the gas leak to predict the gas leak information and,(b) comparing the predicted gas leak information to the historical records and determining a closest match and thereby a corresponding predicted gas leak location,(iv) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) creating a grid of representative gas leak locations employing the geometry of the part and locations of the plurality of sensors relative to the part, and for each of the locations creating a resealable and measurable gas leak and recording corresponding gas flow data for each of the locations to provide the historical record of the defect information for the part, and(b) comparing the gas flow data to the historical record for the part to determine a closest match and thereby a corresponding predicted gas leak location, andwherein said process further includes optimizing a location of said at least one of said plurality of sensors on said gas conduits to account for the geometry of the part, andwherein said detecting and measuring said at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure in said gas conduits, and subsequent corresponding said determination of said gas leak information, is detected and measured during when at least first of said gas conduits are biased into an open-to-gas flow condition and at least second of said gas conduits are biased into a closed-to-gas flow condition during said evacuation of said volume. 2. The process of claim 1 further comprising relaying to a user feedback of said gas leak information, wherein said relaying of said feedback includes displaying said gas leak information to the user while the user is inspecting said part and said vacuum bag or mould, and wherein said defect gas leak information includes predicted leak locations computed for said at least one gas leak. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein said plurality of sensors also includes at least one sensor from the group consisting of radial flow direction sensors, humidity sensors, spectroscopic sensors. 4. The process of claim 3 wherein said process includes mounting said at least one sensor to a corresponding said at least one gas conduit. 5. The process of claim 3 wherein said plurality of sensors includes at least one mass flow sensor, at least one pressure sensors and at least one differential pressure sensor. 6. The process of claim 3 further comprising providing a sensor package and wherein said sensor package includes at least two of said plurality of sensors within said package. 7. The process of claim 5 further comprising providing a sensor package and wherein said sensor package includes said mass flow sensors, said pressure sensors and said differential pressure sensors within said package. 8. The process of claim 4 wherein at least one of said plurality of sensors is mounted in said volume. 9. The process of claim 8 further comprising providing breather material in said volume between said part and said vacuum bag or mould, wherein said breather material has substantially uniform permeability. 10. The process of claim 4 further comprising providing a flow bypass having a resilient flexible bypass valve member and cooperating with at least one of said plurality of sensors to reduce a pressure drop across at least one of said sensors. 11. The process of claim 3 wherein said at least one of said plurality of sensors is coupled in cooperation with at least one of the group consisting of: said plurality of gas conduits, gas ports, a gas breather, a mat having sensor flow passages, a manifold, the vacuum bag or mould. 12. The process of claim 10 wherein said bypass valve member includes a reed means. 13. The process of claim 12 wherein said reed means is biased between open and closed positions, according to a pre-determined pressure threshold, by a gas pressure of said gas flow. 14. The process of claim 13 wherein said pressure threshold is a differential pressure threshold of a differential pressure across an associated sensor of said plurality of sensors. 15. The process of claim 13 wherein said bypass reed means is maintained in said closed position by a magnetic field. 16. The process of claim 1 wherein said biasing of said at least first and said at least second of said gas conduits into said open-to-gas flow and said closed-to-gas flow conditions respectively is cycled through all of said gas conduits in a pattern of opening and closing of said gas conduits to said gas flow, wherein said pattern provides said opening and closing in all permutations as between all combinations of said opening and closing of said gas conduits. 17. The process of claim 16 wherein said pattern is predetermined. 18. The process of claim 1 further comprising a flow bypass mounted in fluid communication with a corresponding gas conduit of said plurality of gas conduits said at least one conduit, and separate from, so as to not be mounted to said at least one sensor. 19. The process of claim 12 wherein said reed means includes a curved reed, and wherein said curved reed is curved so as to elastically pre-load said reed when in said closed position. 20. The process of claim 15 wherein said reed means includes a curved reed, and wherein said curved reed is curved so as to elastically pre-load said reed when in said closed position. 21. The process of claim 4 wherein said at least one sensor is adapted to measure said flow of gas both into and out of said volume. 22. The process of claim 3 wherein said plurality of gas conduits includes a corresponding at least one inlet and/or outlet filter. 23. The process of claim 1 wherein during said leak detection said gas is other than air. 24. The process of claim 1 further comprising providing a second vacuum system independent of said plurality of gas conduits for said evacuating process, said second vacuum system mounted in a second, independent, fluid communication with said vacuum bag or mould, and further comprising the step of using the second vacuum system to locally change a pressure in said vacuum bag or mould so as to change a flow rate of said flow of gas through said plurality of gas conduits for said evacuating process and so as to change said flow rate of said flow of gas interacting with said at least one of said plurality of sensors. 25. The process of claim 13 wherein said plurality of gas conduits has a corresponding unique identifier for each conduit in said at least one gas conduit so as to correlate said gas flow data with said corresponding unique identifier and wherein the unique identifier is chosen from the group which includes: barcodes, radio-frequency identification. 26. The process of claim 1 wherein said plurality of gas conduits are adapted to carry power and/or data. 27. The process of claim 1 wherein said sensors include spectroscopic sensors to provide spectroscopic data for spectrographic analysis chosen from the group consisting of: fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, near-infrared spectroscopy. 28. A process for locating a porosity-causing gas leak during manufacturing of a composite part, wherein during said manufacturing said part is engaged by a vacuum bag or mould so as to define a flexible non-compartmentalized single volume containing or covering the part and said single volume is evacuated to low pressure, and wherein the gas leak is due to a leak associated with the vacuum bag or mould such that atmospheric gas leaks into the single volume, and wherein a plurality of gas conduits cooperate in fluid communication with said vacuum bag or mould for flow of gas through said plurality of gas conduits, and wherein said vacuum bag and mould is mounted so as to engage the part, and wherein a plurality of sensors are coupled in cooperation with said plurality of gas conduits, and wherein said plurality of sensors are coupled in spaced apart array relative to said vacuum bag or mould, and wherein said plurality of sensors are in fluid communication with said single volume between the part and said vacuum bag or mould and wherein said plurality of sensors are adapted to detect and measure at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure, the process comprising: a) evacuating said single volumeb) detecting and measuring said at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure at least during said evacuating of said volume,c) generating gas flow data corresponding to said detecting and measuring of said at least one of mass flow rate and/or pressure,d) computing gas leak information relating to one or more of the gas leaks into said volume from said gas flow data by methods chosen from the group consisting of: (i) localizing a leak into the volume using the gas flow data and using the geometry of the part and sensor location information of said plurality of sensors in said array in relation to the part to predict locations of one or more of the gas leaks into the volume by: (a) fitting a curve to the gas flow data for each sensor of said plurality of sensors in said array,(b) identifying a peak in each curve,(c) triangulating on the peaks,(d) predicting the leak location as corresponding to the triangulated location of the peaks,(ii) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) recording a profile over time of the gas flow data for the part,(b) creating and maintaining a historical record of the profile over time of the gas flow data correlated to a physical specification of the part,(c) predicting a location of the one or more gas leaks into the single volume by: (1) comparing said recording with said historical record and locating a matching profile in said historical record matching for said part,(2) determining from said matching profile of said historical record the corresponding leak locations,(iii) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) creating a grid of virtual gas leak locations employing the geometry of the part and locations of the plurality of sensors relative to the part, and for each of the locations calculating at least the profile of the gas flow rate for a predetermined flow rate of the gas leak to predict the gas leak information and,(b) comparing the predicted gas leak information to the historical records and determining a closest match and thereby a corresponding predicted gas leak location,(iv) localizing one or more of the gas leaks into the volume using a profile of the gas flow data and historical records of past profiles of the gas flow data by: (a) creating a grid of representative gas leak locations employing the geometry of the part and locations of the plurality of sensors relative to the part, and for each of the locations creating a resealable and measureable gas leak and recording corresponding gas flow data for each of the locations to provide the historical record of the defect information for the part, and(b) comparing the gas flow data to the historical record for the part to determine a closest match and thereby a corresponding predicted gas leak location, andwherein said triangulating on the peaks includes determining combinations of pairs of sensors of said plurality of sensors by employing the geometry of said part and locations of said sensors relative to said part,and for each said pair of sensors determine corresponding triangle apexes for all triangles from each said pair of sensors wherein, for each said pair of sensors, a base leg of said triangle extends to and between said pair of sensors, and a remaining two legs of said triangle define an apex there-between at the intersection thereof, and wherein said remaining two legs have first and second lengths respectively in proportion to corresponding first and second said gas flow rates at said pair of sensors respectively so as to determine for each said pair of sensors a corresponding set of said triangle apexes to thereby provide a corresponding apex set for said pair of sensors, for each said apex set determine either: a) a point of intersection between said apex sets,b) where there is no said point of intersection, a mid-point of a line joining points closest to one another between all of said apexes to provide possible leak locations. 29. The process of claim 28 wherein the step (d)(i) further comprising computing the average of said multiple leak locations to thereby predict a single leak location.