NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed a new eddy current inspection device that probes for cracks in parts of metal structures that are often inaccessible without extensive disassembly. The probe is specially designed for insertion into the cavity of a part to inspect the surrounding structure in an outward direction. For example, the probe may be held inside a large, thick tube and pointed outward to inspect the outer diameter of the tube. NASA used the probe to test for stress corrosion cracking in the relief radius of Space Shuttle thrusters without having to dismantle the hardware, reducing inspection time while ensuring the health of the structure. NASA Langley is seeking organizations that would like to license the probe to test for cracks in rocket thrusters and other metallic structures with hard-to-reach inspection areas. Test results have shown that the system is a robust, operator-independent, and reliable inspection method for granular crack detection in the relief radius of thruster components. It is designed to inspect for outer surface damage by accessing the structure from the interior of the thruster cavity and probing in an outward direction. The technique incorporates a dual frequency, orthogonally wound eddy current probe mounted on a stepper motor-controlled scanning system. Matched eddy current coils are arranged orthogonally to each other and scanned into the acoustic cavity of the thruster. One inspection coil is arranged with its axis along the circumferential direction. This orientation enables a relatively deep field penetration with the small diameter coil required to fit into the acoustic cavity, and induces current in a direction that will have a strong interaction with cracks originating in the relief radius and growing toward the acoustic cavity. Another coil with its axis parallel with the acoustic cavity provides a local reference for the inspection. The probe has been prototyped, tested, and used at NASA. U.S. patent 8,164,328. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to
[email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide the nature of your interest in the technology along with a brief background of your company. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/ . These responses are provided to members of NASA Langleys Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development OSACB for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.