APSC 722 Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation I

Fall (3) Mr. Hinders: Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) is an interdisciplinary field of study, which is concerned with the development of analysis techniques and measurement technologies for the quantitative characterization of materials, tissues and structures by noninvasive means. Ultrasonic, radiographic, thermographic, electromagnetic, and optic methods are employed to probe interior microstructure and characterize subsurface features. Applications are in non-invasive medical diagnosis and on-line manufacturing process control, as well as the traditional NDE areas of flaw detection and materials characterization.

NDE focuses on questions such as:

• How do fabrication, growth, and/or processing methods contribute to the microstructural character of a particular material or tissue, and, in turn, how do a material's microstructural properties affect overall mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical behavior?
• What measurement technologies can be employed to make quantitative assessments of micro- and macro-structural properties, and what analysis techniques can be used to more fully understand and interpret measurements of the interaction of probing mechanical, electrical, thermal or optical radiation with materials and tissues?

Quantitative NDE enjoys an increasingly important role in both the development and understanding of new advanced composite materials as well as more traditional materials. Its goals are improving the quality and cost effectiveness of producing these materials, and perhaps more importantly extending the useful lifetime of components and structures fabricated from them.

Students with undergraduate backgrounds in physics and chemistry, as well as applied mathematics and engineering are usually prepared for graduate study in NDE. Familiarity will be gained with advanced technology for measurements such as laser-based ultrasonics, infra-red imaging, acoustic microscopy, microwave and eddy-current imaging, x-ray tomography, and many others. Analytic and computational modeling skills will also be developed. APSC 722 is

an overview of techniques and physical principles for determining material properties and detecting and characterizing defects in materials. Ultrasonic and thermographic methods receive special emphasis. Texts for the course are ``Fundamentals of Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation: A Modeling Approach" by Les Schmerr (Plenum Pub Corp, July 1998)
and "Conduction of Heat in Solids" by J. C. Jaeger and H. S. Carslaw (Oxford University Press, December 1986). Suggested supplimentary texts are ``Wave Motion in Elastic Solids'' by K.F. Graff (Dover, New York, 1991) and "Boundary Value Problems of Heat Conduction''
by M. N. Ozisik (Dover, July 1989). Additional sources will be recommended and/or supplied. Homework exercises will be assigned each week, and take-home exams will be assigned at the middle and the end of the term. Additionally, ultrasonic and thermography laboratory experiments with oral presentation of results will be done by each student.

This course meets Mondays and Wednesdays 4:30-6:00 in McGlothlin-Street Hall, Rm 020.