On May 10th at 01:56, the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft boarded the Long March 7 Yaowu carrier rocket and ignited and took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China. At 8:54, the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft adopted an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode and successfully docked with the aft port of the Tianhe core module of the space station. From then on, the construction phase of the Chinese space station officially began. The electronic beam welding seams of key components such as self-locking valves and connecting blocks of multiple models of the cargo spacecraft were subjected to industrial CT testing, providing important guarantees for the quality and reliability of related components. Fu Kang, the person in charge of the non-destructive testing room of the Institute’s Physical and Chemical Testing Center, said. The valve body structure of spacecraft is complex and difficult to form as a whole, so different structures are often combined together through electron beam welding. At this point, the weld seam becomes the weak link of the valve body structure. The enormous energy generated during the docking process of two heavyweight spacecraft places higher demands on the reliability of the docking mechanism. Therefore, every critical valve body cannot be compromised.
We mainly inspect the internal quality of welds to see if there are pores, cracks, or other defects inside. Due to the small volume of aerospace components and the small penetration depth of welds, our detection and measurement accuracy are highly required, and we must avoid omissions and misjudgments, “Fu Kang said. Over 20 years of experience accumulation and independent innovation have given the Ningbo Branch of the Military Academy of Sciences the confidence and strength to “escort” China’s aerospace industry. As one of the earliest units in China to carry out industrial CT testing applications, the Ningbo Branch of the Military Academy of Sciences took the lead in formulating relevant national standards and national military standards for this technology field, filling the gap in domestic industrial CT application standards. In 2018, the institute also led the development of a national standard for industrial CT electron beam welding seam detection.
Being able to participate in the quality inspection and control of these key aerospace components and contribute to the national aerospace industry is the honor of every soldier and worker, “said the relevant team leader of the Military Academy of Sciences. At present, the Ningbo Branch of the Academy of Military Sciences has conducted testing on national aerospace products such as the “Shenzhou” series, the “Chang’e” series, and the “Tiangong” series. In addition, the team is also responsible for quality control of the key components on the first domestically owned maglev train with independent intellectual property rights and the Hangzhou Bay Cross Sea Bridge.
(Source: Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau)