Elastic Registration of Surface Meshes in the Projective Domain of X-Rays

PROJECT COST:

665 926 $

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

299 766 $

PROJECT DETAILS:

Quality control of complex parts produced by advanced manufacturing techniques is challenging because they often contain inaccessible internal surfaces. In industry, quality inspection of parts with inaccessible surfaces typically relies on X-ray tomography, which remains the only non-destructive method to analyze internal surface defects. However, X-ray tomography is a slow process, and the acquisition equipment is very expensive. The proposed solution, instead of reconstructing surfaces from tomography data, leverages the availability of a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) model of the part, which can be directly compared to the manufactured surfaces.

The collaboration between Polytechnique Montréal, ÉTS, ORS, and P&WC will provide manufacturers of complex parts—such as turbine blades or 3D-printed components—with an innovative solution for optimizing the analysis of internal and external surface deviations using 2D or 3D X-ray tomograms. This approach will offer manufacturers a fast method for comparing nominal and actual parts while minimizing the number of required radiographic images.

Object Research Systems Inc. (ORS) and Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) will collaborate with academic researchers to strengthen Quebec’s expertise in X-ray imaging and the quality control of high-value critical components. This collaboration will enable improvements in production quality, cost reduction, and a lower environmental footprint.

During this project, a master’s student, a postdoctoral fellow, a research associate, and a specialized technician will be involved in adapting this approach for broad applicability across various manufacturing sectors. This will enable the partners—and Quebec as a whole—to position themselves as leaders in the field of non-destructive quality control.