Non-Destructive Evaluation

At IR4TD, we focus on advancing Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) methods to ensure high efficiency and defect-free products in industrial production. Traditional destructive testing is labor-intensive, wasteful, and cannot guarantee comprehensive inspection. Our research centers on developing real-time, automated NDE systems using cutting-edge technologies like infrared thermography and visual imaging. Infrared thermography enables the evaluation of paint spray and the detection of surface and subsurface by analyzing thermal maps, offering a non-invasive, highly sensitive method for paint and spray studies. We also explore new heating regimes and optimize detection parameters to enhance accuracy. In addition, IR4TD’s visual imaging research focuses on developing quantitative techniques, image processing, and image fusion to improve paint efficiency. Our goal is to create intelligent, automated NDE systems that improve spray efficiency, detect defects, and provide data for preventive maintenance, rework, and product development, ensuring higher quality and reliability in manufacturing processes and other applications.

Non-Destructive Evaluation Application

- Atomization, droplet on demand, and coating in Paint Technology

- Paint defects

- Live fuel fire behavior and wildland fire modeling

- 3D printing

- Surface structural evaluation

At IR4TD we have the expertise to develop NDE vision systems based on:

Infrared thermography or infrared imaging extends our knowledge and intuition by seeing the unseen. Infrared detectors measure infrared radiation emitted or absorbed within a field of view and infrared thermography technology converts this information into thermal maps. By studying these thermal maps both in space and time it is possible to identify and understand the origen and type of surface and subsurface defects. Hence, infrared thermography is a noninvasive method that does not require contact with an object under examination. It is an immensely useful and quantitative technique having flexibility to be applied under diverse stimulation sources and durations that can maximize detector sensitivities and relationships between the stimulation source, the specimen and the detector.

At the IR4TD, infrared thermography initiatives include research and development to:

Develop new quantitative infrared thermography techniques
Develop new methods that can see deeper into specimens
Optimize detection and excitation parameters to deliver the best solution for inspection processes and systems

Specific areas of development include:

Novel selective heating regimes such as infrared heaters, ultrasonic, radio frequency, microwave and ultraviolet
Novel image processing techniques
Basic understanding of heat wave propagation in materials
Basic understanding of materials optical and physical properties and their effect on thermal imaging

For more information please contact us.

Visual imaging is known to be the simplest form of nondestructive testing and evaluation. At the IR4TD, visual imaging is used to:

Develop new quantitative techniques;
Develop new image processing methods;
Develop image fusion techniques.

For more information please contact us.

The system compromise of hardware and software that include in house image processors and filters that will result in user friendly interface. The system will be developed based on the physics associated with the process understudy, the nature of the defects, and practicability meeting the needs and detection criteria of the client.

For further discussion please contact us.

Our Non-Destructive Evaluation Highlights

Ignition and burning mechanisms of live spruce needles

Fuel (2021) by Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Ahmad Salaimeh, Nelson K. Akafuah, Mark Finney, Jason M. Forthofer, Kozo Saito

Collaborator: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, US Forest Service, Missoula, MT

The paper investigates the ignition and burning mechanisms of live Norway spruce needles, focusing on Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques to study fire behavior. A hybrid Schlieren-Infrared (IR) system was developed, allowing precise visualization of live fuel ignition. The combined approach revealed critical details like volatile ejection during ignition, which can alter flame behavior and heat nearby fuels. This phenomenon, unseen in dead fuels, leads to micro-explosions and flame deflections, enhancing heat transfer. The non-destructive methods (Schlieren and IR thermography) enabled detailed analysis without altering the sample, providing new insights into how live fuels support fire propagation despite high moisture content. These micro-explosions, visualized through Schlieren and IR, were crucial in preheating adjacent fuels through hot volatile jets and intermittent flame contact, which could lead to ignition. In summary, the paper's application of NDE techniques provided a novel approach to understanding forest fire dynamics, showing how live needles’ behavior differs significantly from dead fuels, particularly in their contribution to fire spread and micro-spotting phenomena.

Study of Near-Cup Droplet Breakup of an Automotive Electrostatic Rotary Bell (ESRB) Atomizer Using High-Speed Shadowgraph Imaging

Coating (2018) by Jacob E. Wilson, Stephen W. Grib, Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Michael W. Renfro, Scott A. Adams, and Ahmad A. Salaimeh

Collaborator: Ford Motor Company, Michigan, USA

The study focuses on Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques through high-speed shadowgraph imaging to analyze droplet breakup in an automotive Electrostatic Rotary Bell (ESRB) Atomizer. The NDE approach is central to understanding the fluid dynamics near the atomizer’s cup without altering the system. The research highlights how high-speed imaging captures the evolution of ligaments and droplets at different rotational speeds (5,000–12,000 RPM), demonstrating the atomization process that shapes fluid behavior. Shadowgraph imaging allows visualization of droplet formation and ligament behavior in real-time, providing detailed insights into the size distribution and velocity of both ligaments and droplets. This non-invasive technique ensures precise data acquisition and analysis, supporting improvements in atomization efficiency for industrial applications, such as automotive painting. The paper's NDE-driven findings contribute to better understanding the mechanisms of fluid breakup, which directly impacts paint transfer efficiency and reduces waste in automotive coating processes. The use of shadowgraph imaging underpins the study’s innovative approach, offering practical implications for the broader field of fluid mechanics in industrial settings

Other Non-Destructive Evaluation Papers

1. Experimental and mathematical tools to predict droplet size and velocity distribution for a two-fluid nozzle in Fluids (2020) by Sadegh Poozesh, Nelson Akafuah, Heather Campbell, Faezeh Bashiri, and Kozo Saito Collaborator: College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Brunswick

2. Spatial Positioning and Operating Parameters of a Rotary Bell Sprayer: 3D Mapping of Droplet Size Distributions in Fluids (2019) by Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Binit B. Singh, Mark Doerr, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Masoud Arabghahestani, Ahmad A. Salaimeh, and Nelson Akafuah

3. Schlieren Visualization of Shaping Air during Operation of an Electrostatic Rotary Bell Sprayer: Impact of Shaping Air on Droplet Atomization and Transport in Coatings (2018) by Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Ahmad Abubaker, Ahmad Salaimeh, and Nelson Akafuah

For more research output on Non-Destructive Evaluation, please visit Scholars@UK.