Application of Digital Radiography (Dr) in an Approach to Evaluate the Technical Condition of MiG-29’s Vertical Stabilizers

The purpose of the work presented was to evaluate the capabilities of digital radiography to detect cracks in the internal structure of MiG-29 vertical stabilizers. The test object was a stabilizer previously subjected to fatigue testing and partially torn down for the needs of visual inspection. An inspection of three regions containing cracked parts was performed, with use of a pulsed x-ray generator and digital detector array. The results confirmed the method could be used to detect cracks in an internal structure which could not be inspected with other methods without affecting the stabilizer’s integrity.