Terahertz Non-destructive Evaluation of Textile Ropes and Slings

Terahertz (THz) technology has shown great promise for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) applications in manufacturing, security screening, and medical imaging. This work expands the scope of THz NDE, demonstrating its use as a new and innovative method for NDE of nylon ropes and slings. The strength of ropes and slings is compromised when grains of sand or sea salt become deeply embedded between the rope strands and wear away at its nylon threads. Until now, inspections of nylon rope has been limited to subjective observations of the surface because the textile material is opaque to visible light. In this paper, the authors present THz imaging as a new NDE modality with the capability to map the 3D distribution of the sand and salt contaminants located within textile ropes and slings. The first THz tomographic images of salt and sand embedded within nylon webbing are presented and a design concept for a prototype THz rope scanner is introduced and discussed. Military and civilian organizations alike would benefit from this innovative approach, as it will protect personnel and cargo from previously unseen hazards.