The Monitor was the U.S. Navy's first ironclad and is best known for its battle with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (also known as the Merrimac), which ended in a draw at Hampton Roads, Va., on March 9, 1862. Later that year, the Monitor sank off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.; it is now a national marine sanctuary managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 1987, NOAA, on behalf of the U.S. government, designated the Mariners' Museum as the repository for artifacts and archives for the ship. Working with NOAA and the U.S. Navy, the museum has received more than 1100 articles from the Monitor, including the steam engine, propeller, and revolving gun turret.

The equipment used to X-ray the artifacts was a linear accelerator high-energy X-ray machine. The machine is usually used to inspect heavy metallic castings poured in the shipyard's foundry before they are used for ship construction. Since 2000, Newport News employees have volunteered their help and expertise to the Monitor recovery project by off-loading artifacts at shipyard piers and docks, constructing conservation tanks at the Mariners' Museum, and performing topographical ultrasonic inspections and X rays of the recovered items.

"We are happy to be part of this ongoing project with the Mariners' Museum and NOAA," said Ike Isenhour, senior project engineer, Newport News Nondestructive Testing unit, who helped coordinate the X-ray efforts. "As shipbuilders, we take special pride in helping to preserve such an important part of naval history."

Longview Inspection, Inc., was recently awarded a contract to provide real-time digital radiographic inspection services on a critical component of the new 6.0-liter Navistar diesel engine manufactured for Ford F250 and F350 trucks.

Following the contract award, the company has established a new facility in Escanaba, Mich., and made a substantial investment in state-of-the-art production inspection systems. This is Longview's first significant entry into the automotive industry. It will use complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology to perform the inspections. The CMOS technology has been used in a variety of industries over the past few years, but it is being used at higher energy levels for this application.

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EDAX Takes Over Distribution of Its Products in Germany
EDAX, Inc., Mahwah, N.J., a unit of AMETEK Process & Analytical Instruments, recently signed an agreement with Roentgenanalytik Messtechnik (RAM) GmbH, Taunusstein, Germany, whereby EDAX will take over the distribution of its X-ray microanalysis and electron diffraction products in Germany.

"Our goal is to make this a seamless transition for our customers," said Alan Devenish, business unit manager of EDAX in Mahwah. "RAM has distributed EDAX products in Germany for 20 years and built up a strong product expertise over that time. Those RAM employees involved with the EDAX product line will join the EDAX organization in Germany, so that sales and service of our products will continue without disruption."

Roentgenanalytik Messtechnik will then concentrate on its coating thickness and other products.

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Sensor System Used to Inspect and Replace Small Jet Engine Blades This laser twin sensor from LMI Technologies is being used to inspect small, concave stainless steel and Inconel blades of jet engines at overhaul facilities. The sensor features twin viewing axes and projects a small laser spot size 30 micrometers in diameter. Oryx Systems provides the software and process hardware for the system. Small aircraft operators usually rely on overhaul facilities to inspect, replace, or regrind hundreds of small stainless steel and Inconel® blades in jet engines. Over time, the blades wear and bend due to erosion or foreign object damage, which adversely affects engine performance and efficiency. Each jet engine contains hundreds of blades, which are used to generate thrust power during normal operation. Manually inspecting the blades is a slow and labor-

intensive process. To replace manual measurement, LMI Technologies (USA), Inc., Southfield, Mich., has jointly developed a system with Oryx Systems, a systems integrator based in Charlotte, N.C., that can accurately inspect the blades at high speeds. LMI provided the noncontact laser sensor for the system and Oryx Systems the software and signal processing hardware. The first blade inspection has been installed at a southeastern aircraft overhaul facility. A second system will be installed in a Canadian facility that overhauls CF34 jet engines.

To automate the inspection process in the initial application, Oryx positioned the sensor at a diagonal position below the rotor. As the rotor spins, the sensor measures the length of each blade tip from the centerline of each wheel. Measurements are made within 200 milliseconds with a tolerance of ±0.005 in. and resolution of ±0.0001 in. The laser twin measurement sensor from LMI Technologies emits a single laser beam that strikes the object's surface, reflecting a spot through twin imaging optics onto two position-sensitive detectors (PSD). If the reflected spot on one PSD is obscured by a change in the blade's surface, the other PSD can see it. Using the two detectors compensates for intensity variations within the laser spot and lateral sensitivity of the sensor is greatly improved.