Aerospace Radome Impingement Testing

Overview
Aerospace industry employs sensitive and expensive instrumentation and radars for sensing, navigation and tracking on all forms of aircraft. This equipment is protected by special Radomes of various polymers, composites, ceramics and alloys to protect sensitive instrumentation from impingement from precipitation, insects and airborne foul at a variety of speeds from low speed to Mach 1+.

Need Statement:
The development and customization of these radomes requires special testing to qualify the durability and survivability of the different materials and shape configurations. There needs to be a test method of creating a controlled impingement event that can be used to validate the radomes designs for their specific applications.

Solution:
Review test need specifications and develop a test method approach. Develop a modular, configurable, and programmable test apparatus that will enable the controlled impingement (kinematic characteristics) of a unique plastic bead (weight, strength), at a specific speed (low speed 200kts to medium speed 800kts) against representative radomes samples. This system will need to be able to measure the bead physical characteristics prior, measure the velocity of the beads just prior to impact, and provide a method of inspection or assessment for survivability scoring.