ANN ARBOR — Advanced Photonix Inc. said Friday it had been awarded a $1 million contract to develop a high-speed imaging system to detect corrosion under marine coatings from the United States Navy.
The contract from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center will use API’s Terahertz technologies.
Terahertz radiation occupies a spot on the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared light. Poorly understood until the 1990s, terahertz beams can “see through” many materials, but without the damaging, ionizing punch of X-rays.
The Phase II contract follows the successful completion of a Phase I proof of concept. It will result in the development of a prototype suitable for evaluation
The terahertz imaging system will be designed for on-site defect detection of commonly used ship hull coatings and rapid, non-destructive detection of corrosion, hull coating delamination, and hull surface gouges recessed into the hull metal through still-attached hull coatings.
The prototype will be evaluated on submarine hulls or representative structures. It is expected that this effort will be followed by preparation of a Phase III development plan to turn the technology into a system that can be deployed by the Navy.
“This is another example of our long and continuing partnership with the Department of Defense,” sadi API CEO Richard Kurtz. “The high-speed imaging system developed under this contract will allow the Navy to save maintenance costs in its dockside operations.”
Advanced Photonix (NYSE: API) supplies optoelectronic sensors, devices and instruments used by test and measurement, process control, medical, telecommunication and homeland security markets.
More at www.advancedphotonix.com.