PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Retrofitting Inflatable Radome Ringwalls to Accept Rigid Radomes
CLIENT: Department of Defense (DoD)
LOCATION: Non-disclosed Locations
BACKGROUND
Over the last decade DE principals have been involved with evaluating and repairing critical antenna structures for the DoD, NASA, JPL, Space Force and the like. Due the the age of these structures coupled with the aggressive exposure environments these structure are often situated in, they have the need for repair and retrofit due to dated or non-supported technology.
Recently, DE has been tasked with modifying existing ringwall structures and modifying them to accept the newer and/or more resilient radomes while improving the concrete and performing repairs to allow for the continued long term health of the structure and success of the mission.
TECHNICAL APPROACH
Durability Engineers (DE) responded within one day of the notification and conducted nondestructive testing (NDT) using ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV). By performing a combination of direct and indirect UPV transmission techniques, DE was able to establish a baseline signal velocity and provide comparison measurements through the beam and across the suspected discontinuity. The UPV measurements did not indicate the presence of a discontinuity and the beam was found to be monolithic allowing it to be safely installed.
DE’s investigation and analysis allowed for:
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Mitigation of time and cost for destructive laboratory testing,
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Saving of time and money to repair/replace the precast beam
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Resumption of construction safely, maintaining the original timeline and budget.
