Air passengers subconsciously rely on the belief that experts have verified that the aircraft they are flying in and the parts that make up it are safe. The behind-the-scenes work, which takes place long before passengers board an aircraft, keeps travelers safe. It is an important industry that is faced with high costs and the challenges of adapting new technologies.
David Jack, Ph.D., Baylor Professor of Mechanical Engineering, works to empower the aerospace industry with resources to make it smarter and safer. From his laboratory at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), Jack has invested years of high-level research into improving the way the industry can analyze aircraft parts for safety. He is also looking for ways to do this more efficiently and cheaply without compromising the high standards required for safe flights on technologically advanced machines.
“We can reduce manufacturing defects and the number of parts that go wrong. They’ll catch them on the production lines instead of waiting for something to break, ”said Jack. “There is no room for error. So we are studying it to an extreme. “
Non-destructive technology research is nearing major milestones, from investing outside of the company to starting a business that can improve air travel for everyone involved.
Investigation of an industry need
David Jack, Ph.D.
Baylor Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Jack is a leading national researcher on composites that combine two or more materials with different physical and chemical properties. Composites that are stronger and lighter than counterparts like steel or metal are changing the future of many industries, including aerospace.
However, composites pose a challenge for industry: process inefficiency that is exacerbated by high costs. There is no easy solution when a problem is identified after a manufacturer has built a composite part for an aircraft or vehicle. Checking for problems in an aircraft with composite materials requires destruction of the composite material.
“The only way for a manufacturer to tell if the built part came out as planned was to literally go in, cut out a piece with a saw, burn it off, remove resin, examine the fabric, and see if it did works or not, ”said Jack. “If you can say, ‘Yeah, it works, great work, everyone,’ that’s great. But this part is now unfortunately destroyed. “
This process wastes countless parts and millions of dollars. The aerospace industry needed a way to take advantage of composites without the significant financial and manufacturing expense, while maintaining passenger safety. Nearly a dozen years ago, representatives from L3 Harris Technologies (then known as L-3 Communications) began discussions with Jack, who had recently joined Baylor Faculty to address this challenge.
“Those early conversations sparked the whole trend of using ultrasound to examine composite aircraft to find features that no one else can find,” says Jack.
Ultrasonic technology allows users to look inward to test the structural integrity of the aircraft and its parts. Right from the start, the engineers needed to further develop the quality of the technology in order to meet their challenges. That included a higher level solution to help identify problems more clearly. These early conversations further immersed Jack in the needs of aerospace manufacturers, engineers and inspectors, and brought the intersection of the needs of various stakeholders into focus in the process.
“If we could mature all three areas – materials, manufacturing, and inspection – at the same time, we would have an advantage when new material systems go online,” said Jack. “Without this simultaneous maturation, you’d have great technology that couldn’t be used because you couldn’t inspect it.”
After more than a decade of dedicated research on campus, partnering with L3 Harris, and launching a unique program to commercialize Baylor technology, the goal of a next generation approach to non-destructive technology is closer than ever.
From the laboratory to the market
If the track of a university is research and science and the track of an industry is the development of products or resources, there can sometimes be an interruption when meaningful research is translated into meaningful products. For Jack, Baylor’s Lab to Market Collaborative (L2M) has linked research in the lab with an impact outside the lab.
The Lab to Market Collaborative, located in the Baylor Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR), was created to provide Baylor researchers with an “ongoing pipeline of ideas, inventions and technologies” that are “fast and agile to market.” reach”. L2M works with Blueprints Lab, a Waco-based technology marketing and licensing organization, and Waco Ventures, a Waco-based organization that raises funding for early-stage technology companies. Together they bring a “unity of effort” that continues to focus on developing real technology and growing Baylor’s Tier 1 / R1 research activities. The Baylor faculty and alumni in these organizations help the university advance its mission as they advance market research.
Todd Buchs, Assistant Vice Provost for Research Technology Commercialization and Industry Development, says it is important for Baylor to demonstrate the ability to turn concepts, theories and papers into useful products.
“Industrial partners are looking for a disciplined process that recognizes core competencies for manufacturing a product,” says Buchs. “David Jack has built a fantastic relationship with L3 Harris. He understands that you can be diversified in the way that you are funded as a researcher, and he is a huge advocate of working with the industry. That fit perfectly. “
Jack’s research sponsored by L3 Harris brought ultrasound technology to a more mature stage that required further growth and outside investment to bring the technology to a point where it could be used in the field. Waco Ventures enabled large outside investments in the technology, bringing $ 6.8 million in research funding to Baylor. That agreement and related funding resulted in the creation of Verify, a startup commercializing Jack’s non-destructive technology for the benefit of air travelers and manufacturers.
“This whole process has been phenomenal and very educational,” says Jack. “I learned a lot about how the industry works. They opened doors that I couldn’t have opened and that I might not even know existed. You’re making something of this that is going to have a lot more impact than I ever thought. “
A multiplier effect
The creation of Verify will shape the next steps in Jack’s non-destructive technology research and open the door to validate its usefulness and safety for use with partners in the military, commercial aviation, and other fields. Jack works with Verify on research and development, which he says will have a multiplier effect for industry and passengers alike.
“We will use this partnership to have these technologies certified and authorized so that the aerospace industry can make technical decisions,” says Jack. “Along the way, we will use funds to develop next generation technology. And for passengers, this means planes are in the air longer because they are not grounded for maintenance as often. How Much is Security Worth? I don’t have to enter a number, but it’s a lot when I’m flying. “
