Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM

Bauhalle Airbus — © AIRBUS S.A.S. 2008
Zusammenbau eines Airbus-Flugzeuges

Reliably Testing of Modern Materials

Measuring with Terahertz waves is a non-contact, non-destructive technology, which is – unlike X-ray or UV radiation – not harmful to humans.

Non-Destructive Testing with Terahertz Waves

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is an essential part of production. It ensures that only flawless goods enter circulation. The earlier this testing is carried out in the production process, the greater the benefits – avoidance of unnecessary material, energy and time consumption by preventing further processing of defective goods. Depending on the specifications, the inspection systems are designed for inline or offline operation.

The defects to be detected range from faulty thicknesses (coating or extrusion) to the detection of inclusions (foreign material or air) and defective structures (delamination or missing material) to the use of the wrong material.

A variety of methods are available to our team for NDT:

Terahertz-TDS
Terahertz FMCW
Hyperspectral imaging
Optical short coherence tomography (OCT)

and other optical sensors such as laser triangulators, interferometric and chromatic sensors.

Often, only the combination of different techniques results in the best solution. Through close cooperation with colleagues from other Fraunhofer institutes and research facilities, we are able to offer additional testing methods such as thermography.

In addition to the actual sensor technology, the customized software is an essential component of the test systems. On the one hand, it ensures optimal evaluation of the measurement data and comprehensible presentation of the results. On the other hand, it enables intuitive operation and integration into the company's own data infrastructure.

Example Projects

ASKIVIT

In the project »ASKIVIT«, we are working with partners on automated sorting to recover wood, wood-based materials and non-ferrous metals. Our experience in the field of terahertz imaging, among other things, is supporting here.

DOTNAC

Within the framework of the DOTNAC project, funded by the EU, we developed a terahertz scanner for testing aircraft components together with partners from research and industry.

RADOM

A millimeter-wave terahertz system developed by our institute checks radar domes of planes (radom) for defects.

Handheld Terahertz Sensor

The handheld scanner is a complete Terahertz system for non-destructive on-site testing.