# US 12,767,355 B2 · Methods of characterizing bondline integrity of structural assemblies, methods of establishing reduced proof pressure differentials for proof testing a structural assembly that includes a bondline, methods of proof testing a structural assembly, and acoustic evaluation systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,767,355 B2 - Document ID: US12767355B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/749,132 - Filed: 2024-06-20 - Published: 2025-12-25 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2024-06-20 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Joseph D. Schaefer; Brian P. Justusson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12767355B2 ## CPC - B64F 5/60: Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems - G01M 5/0033: {by determining damage, crack or wear} - G01M 5/0066: {by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration (vibration testing of structures G01M7/00)} - B64F: GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Methods of characterizing bondline integrity of structural assemblies, methods of establishing reduced proof pressure differentials for proof testing a structural assembly that includes a bondline, methods of proof testing a structural assembly, and acoustic evaluation systems are disclosed herein. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of characterizing bondline integrity of structural assemblies, the method comprising: for each baseline structural assembly of a plurality of baseline structural assemblies: (i) receiving baseline acoustic emission data generated during validation of each baseline structural assembly, wherein each baseline structural assembly includes a corresponding baseline bondline, and further wherein at least a subset of the baseline acoustic emission data is generated during a physical change to the corresponding baseline bondline; (i) filtering the baseline acoustic emission data to generate filtered baseline acoustic emission data that includes a baseline bondline-proximate subset of the baseline acoustic emission data generated relatively proximate the corresponding baseline bondline and excludes a baseline bondline-distal subset of the baseline acoustic emission data generated relatively distal the corresponding baseline bondline; and (iii) applying an unsupervised learning algorithm to the filtered baseline acoustic emission data to generate a classification dataset that identifies at least one characteristic of the filtered baseline acoustic emission data that is indicative of a physical change to the corresponding baseline bondline during validation of each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the baseline acoustic emission data includes generating the baseline acoustic emission data by applying a validation condition to each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the validation condition includes at least one of: solid wave propagation within each baseline structural assembly, energy transmission through each baseline structural assembly, mechanical energy transmission through each baseline structural assembly, thermal energy transmission through each baseline structural assembly, electrical energy transmission through each baseline structural assembly, a mechanically generated deformation force applied to each baseline structural assembly, a pneumatically generated deformation force applied to each baseline structural assembly, a hydraulically generated deformation force applied to each baseline structural assembly, and a pressure generated deformation force applied to each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering the baseline acoustic emission data includes utilizing wave mechanics calculations to determine a plurality of emission locations within each baseline structural assembly, and for the baseline acoustic emission data, wherein the baseline bondline-proximate subset of the baseline acoustic emission data includes baseline acoustic emission data with bondline-proximate emission locations of the plurality of emission locations that are relatively proximate the corresponding baseline bondline, and further wherein the baseline bondline-distal subset of the baseline acoustic emission data includes baseline acoustic emission data with bondline-distal emission locations of the plurality of emission locations that are relatively distal the corresponding baseline bondline. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: (i) the baseline acoustic emission data is generated by a plurality of acoustic sensors in acoustic communication with each baseline structural assembly; and (ii) the receiving the baseline acoustic emission data includes generating the baseline acoustic emission data utilizing the plurality of acoustic sensors in acoustic communication with each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors is spaced-apart and supported on a surface of each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors includes a baseline bondline-proximate subset of the plurality of acoustic sensors that is relatively proximate the baseline bondline and a baseline bondline-distal subset of the plurality of acoustic sensors that is relatively distal the baseline bondline, wherein the baseline bondline-proximate subset of the baseline acoustic emission data includes baseline acoustic emission data initially detected by the baseline bondline-proximate subset of the plurality of acoustic sensors, and further wherein the baseline bondline-distal subset of the baseline acoustic emission data includes baseline acoustic emission data initially detected by the baseline bondline-distal subset of the plurality of acoustic sensors. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the unsupervised learning algorithm includes grouping the filtered baseline acoustic emission data to group filtered baseline acoustic emission data of the plurality of baseline structural assemblies that is indicative of similar bondline physical changes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the applying the unsupervised learning algorithm includes determining a frequency distribution function of the filtered baseline acoustic emission data, and further wherein the applying the unsupervised learning algorithm further includes clustering the frequency distribution function. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the applying the unsupervised learning algorithm further includes training a supervised learning algorithm to analyze experimental acoustic emission data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: (i) the plurality of baseline structural assemblies further includes at least one pristine baseline structural assembly that includes a corresponding pristine bondline; (ii) the receiving the baseline acoustic emission data further includes receiving corresponding pristine acoustic emission data generated during validation of the pristine baseline structural assembly, wherein the pristine acoustic emission data is generated without degradation of the corresponding pristine bondline; (iv) the filtered baseline acoustic emission data includes a baseline bondline-proximate subset of the corresponding pristine acoustic emission data and excludes a baseline bondline-distal subset of the corresponding pristine acoustic emission data; and (v) the classification dataset further identifies at least one characteristic of the filtered baseline acoustic emission data that is indicative of validation of at least one pristine baseline structural assembly without degradation of the corresponding pristine bondline. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each baseline structural assembly includes at least one of: (i) a laboratory coupon; (ii) a sub-assembly; (iii) an assembled commercial component configured to be included within a commercial assembly; and (iv) an aircraft canopy configured to be included within an aircraft. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each baseline structural assembly includes: (i) a frame; (ii) a transparency; and (iii) a structural adhesive that adheres the transparency to the frame to define the corresponding baseline bondline. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding baseline bondline includes at least one of: (i) an interface region between two dissimilar materials of each baseline structural assembly; and (ii) an adhesion region between two dissimilar materials of each baseline structural assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the physical change to the corresponding baseline bondline includes at least one of: (i) deformation of the corresponding baseline bondline; (ii) damage initiation within the corresponding baseline bondline; and (iii) damage growth within the corresponding baseline bondline. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the physical change to the corresponding baseline bondline includes degradation of the corresponding baseline bondline. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) Non-transitory computer-readable storage media including computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct an analyzer module to perform the method of claim 1. ### Claim 18 An acoustic evaluation system for acoustically evaluating a structural assembly that includes a bondline, the acoustic evaluation system comprising: a validation structure configured to apply a validation condition to the structural assembly; an acoustic sensing system including a plurality of acoustic sensors configured to be positioned in acoustic communication with the structural assembly and to generate acoustic emission data indicative of acoustic emissions from the structural assembly during validation of the structural assembly via the validation condition; and an analyzer module programmed to receive the acoustic emission data and to filter the acoustic emission data to generate filtered acoustic emission data that includes a bondline-proximate subset of the acoustic emission data generated relatively proximate the bondline and excludes a bondline-distal subset of the acoustic emission data generated relatively distal the bondline. ### Claim 19 A method of establishing a reduced proof pressure differential for proof testing of a structural assembly that includes a bondline, the method comprising: establishing an assessment pressure differential between an interior region of an assessment structural assembly and an exterior region of the assessment structural assembly; during the establishing the assessment pressure differential, acoustically monitoring the assessment structural assembly to generate assessment acoustic emission data; filtering the assessment acoustic emission data to generate filtered assessment acoustic emission data that includes an assessment bondline-proximate subset of the assessment acoustic emission data and excludes an assessment bondline-distal subset of the assessment acoustic emission data; applying a supervised learning algorithm trained on a classification dataset to the filtered assessment acoustic emission data to identify characteristics of the filtered assessment acoustic emission data indicative of a physical change to an assessment bondline of the assessment structural assembly; repeating the establishing, the acoustically monitoring, the filtering, and the applying at a plurality of distinct assessment pressure differentials to generate a proof pressure differential database that includes each assessment pressure differential of the plurality of distinct assessment pressure differentials and correspondingly identified characteristics of corresponding filtered assessment acoustic emission data indicative of the physical change to the assessment bondline; and selecting the reduced proof pressure differential for the structural assembly based, at least in part, on the proof pressure differential database. ### Claim 20 A method of proof testing a test structural assembly, which includes a test bondline, at a reduced proof pressure differential, the method comprising: establishing the reduced proof pressure differential between an interior region of the test structural assembly and an exterior region of the test structural assembly; during the establishing the reduced proof pressure differential, acoustically monitoring the test structural assembly to generate test acoustic emission data; filtering the test acoustic emission data to generate filtered test acoustic emission data that includes a test bondline-proximate subset of the test acoustic emission data and excludes a test bondline-distal subset of the test acoustic emission data; applying a supervised learning algorithm trained on a classification dataset to the filtered test acoustic emission data to identify characteristics of the filtered test acoustic emission data indicative of a physical change to the test bondline; and predicting the physical change to the test bondline when the filtered test acoustic emission data includes characteristics indicative of the physical change to the test bondline.