Dates for diary – January 2025:
University of Warwick & Conference Centre
IWG at the University of Warwick, 27th January 2025
Technology Transfer, Scarman House, 28th January 2025
Board meeting, Scarman House, 29th January 2025
Our annual RCNDE Feasibility studies and Technology Transfer call is now open for outlines proposals. This funding aims to aid with technology transfer of previous research and/or to test and try new ideas. With a total of £75k funding available, past projects have had values between c. £15k and £30k and lasted between around 6-9months. The projects ultimately address industrial requirements identified by the RCNDE industrial membership in the 2022 NDEvR Vision.
Eligibility is limited to current RCNDE academic partners and maximum project costs allowed are £30k per project.
Deadline for outline proposals is 8th December 2024. For more information and how to apply please get in touch.
The UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE) values diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints, supports equality, and strives to be an inclusive environment where everyone can feel appreciated for their contributions. RCNDE recognises that by enshrining Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles in policy and encouraging their application in all spheres of its activity it can more effectively achieve its aims and meet the needs of its community.
At the same time, both the RCNDE membership and the Management Team acknowledge that further work is required to reach these goals. The EDI policy arises out of a shared desire to address areas where improvements are necessary and an ambition to embed EDI at the heart of RCNDE’s work. These desires were encapsulated in the 2023-2028 Strategic Delivery Plan: “Diversity in people and diversity in ideas are key to RCNDE’s future success and RCNDE will champion an open, inclusive and diverse environment that continues delivering world-class research and delivering industrial benefit to its members and society.”
RCNDE mission of matching research to industry needs by investing in world-class talent is at the forefront of our strategy. Our 2024 Industry-funded call for Core projects aim precisely at that, and will fund projects aimed at developing solutions identified by our industrial members in the 2022 NDEvR Vision.
With almost half a million pounds of funding spread over four years, we hope to continue the successful Core programme which is the backbone of our centre. This funding is only available to current RCNDE universities with projects expected to start in Spring 2025.
Deadline for outline proposals is 13 October 2024.
For more information and how to apply please get in touch.
As it is now tradition, the summer holidays finished for most of the RCNDE community with the attendance to the BINDT Conference, celebrating its 61st edition in 2024.
This year’s conference included the bi-annual RCNDE Showcase, where the whole of Session A is filled with RCNDE research and papers. With over twenty papers and most of the RCNDE universities represented, it was an impressive tour de force of the skills and capabilities from our academic community. Well done t all the speakers and the organisers of the conference,
The Materials Testing Exhibition that takes place every couple of years was hosted alongside the conference. RCNDE was present in stand P13 which hosted a series of demos from some of our academic groups. Special thank you to the volunteers that committed their time to the stand, nothing better than seeing science in action! Many of our Associate members were also present at the Exhibition which was, as always, a great success. 
To top this up, some of our academics and collaborators and our own Technology Director, Colin Brett, were recognised with awards at the Conference. Big congratulations to:
Prof Mike Todd, UC San Diego – Roy Sharp prize for a significant contribution through R&D in any branch of NDT to the benefit of industry or society over a period of 10-15 years or longer.
Prof Gareth Pierce, Strathclyde – Anne Birt Award for a significant contribution to technology innovation, technology transfer or technology strategy in the field of NDT over a period of 5-10 years or longer.
Dr Colin Brett – Personal Contribution award to recognise a valuable and significant personal contribution to the British Institute of NDT and the wider NDT/CM/SHM community by an individual who has contributed to and influenced the wellbeing of the Institute
Prof Wuilang Yin et al, Manchester – William Gardner award for best conference paper
A jam-packed week for many but one that we enjoy and look forward to every year
International Women in Engineering Day, celebrated on 23 June, is an initiative aimed at raising awareness around the incredible achievement of women engineers. While we recognize that there is still some way to go to ensure equitable representation, job satisfaction, and opportunities for women in engineering, we would like to take this opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing women whose work make the world better and safer. Below, Dr Theodosia Stratoudaki (University of Strathclyde) reflects on her professional journey and her experience of being a woman in engineering.
“My main research is focused on sensing and imaging using light. I use light to generate and detect ultrasound. This is important in order to evaluate the condition of industrial and structural parts and make sure that they are fit to do the purpose they are expected to, perform and that they don’t fail. My research is particularly relevant to applications in extreme environmental conditions such as space, high temperature or nuclear environments. Light is one of the very few types of sensors that can operate in such harsh environments.
I lead the team of Remote Ultrasonics and Laser Enabled Sensing at the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering of the University of Strathclyde. We are developing hardware, software and signal processing methods for laser ultrasonics, most of them targeted towards NDE.
There is plenty of scope for increasing diversity in NDE. It is very promising to see the NDE community realising why NDE needs diversity and then engineer ways to make things possible for all talent to thrive. It is my pleasure to be part of this community both within my role as a researcher and as a teacher to future NDE scientists and engineers.”
We would like to thank Theodosia for sharing her story, and for being an excellent role model for aspiring women engineers.
On 17th April, the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation and (RCNDE) and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) organised an “Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) for Fusion” Workshop at the Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire. The event was held to create a greater understanding within the NDE community of the inspection requirements of this advanced form of energy production, both in the manufacturing and the operational stages of its life, and for the fusion developers to gain an appreciation of the range of NDE technologies that might offer potential solutions. The workshop attracted more than 50 attendees, covering the entire specturm from academia to industry and companies actively involved in fusion power generation.
When a mix of two types of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) are heated to form a plasma at extreme temperatures (10 times hotter than the core of the sun) they fuse together to create helium and release huge amounts of energy. At UKAEA, this hot plasma is held using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’. Nevertheless, the surface temperature at the walls can reach 2000°C, and radiation levels can be 3000 Gray/year, so this is an environment that necessitates advanced safety planning.
Presentations were made by Paul Goodwin and Yao Ren of UKAEA, Jim Pickles of Tokamak Energy Ltd. and Naresh Chityala of Commonwealth Fusion Systems who described the various designs and the range of problems that are anticipated. High amongst these are the advanced materials for the vessel and pipework systems, their connecting welds, and the extremely constrained access conditions. Creep, corrosion, embrittlement and neutron damage are all expected to be severe, but until a fusion system becomes operational it is not possible to estimate their initiation times and rates of growth. Instead, the approach is to ensure newly manufactured parts are as flaw-free as possible, and to plan on periodic replacement of the affected items throughout the life of the asset. Test samples containing representative flaws are clearly unavailable at present so traditional inspection validation routes are also problematic.
However, despite the undoubted challenges of fusion energy generation, the strength of NDE is that very often different industrial sectors have the same fundamental issues which can be tackled collectively. Once the groundwork has been completed, it is often just a matter of adapting the inspection method to a particular material, component or system. The afternoon of the Workshop showcased a variety of projects that have been undertaken by RCNDE that might, with further specific developments, be applicable to fusion systems:
Eann Patterson (University of Liverpool) described a cost-effective infra-red camera system for measuring the thermoelastic stresses in surfaces that face the plasma and their incorporation into a first-of-a-kind digital twin, while Matthew Riding (University of Strathclyde) explained the history of laser induced ultrasound (UKAEA were pioneers) and how this system could be used remotely to inspect through extremes of temperature. Ruth Sanderson of Full Matrix Ltd. outlined a system for inspecting long lengths of pipework using non-contact ultrasound produced by an array of EMATs. Distortion in the signals caused by bends and other surface features could be compensated for by modelling the configurations and utilising machine learning, thereby producing a greater sensitivity to small flaws at a great range.
The inspection of welds during their manufacture was described by Charles MacLeod (University of Strathclyde). This presentation illustrated that the effects of high temperatures and thermal gradients can be understood and compensated for to produce accurate information on flaw sizes and positions within welds. Anthony Croxford (University of Bristol) explained how WAND-Light can be used to measure wall thicknesses over many metres in a repeatable manner. Finally, Fred Cegla (Imperial College) reviewed a number of systems that have been installed on operational power plants and refineries to measure wall thicknesses, and the process for deciding on the density of such measurements and their frequency of interrogation to achieve the optimum cost benefit.
Undoubtedly, any NDE or monitoring system will need significant adaptation to fill the extreme requirements of a fusion system, but there are strong grounds for optimism that several existing technologies offer potential solutions.
The challenges faced by the fusion energy community during the manufacturing and operational phases have been captured by Peter Thayer (RCNDE) and it is anticipated that a follow-up meeting will seek to prioritise specific topics where further NDE developments will be beneficial.
Image: JET tokamak (from https://ccfe.ukaea.uk/programmes/joint-european-torus/). Image credit: UK Atomic Energy Authority.
On Friday 8th March 2024, RCNDE celebrated International Women’s Day by spotlighting some of the outstanding women professionals in its community of experts: Caroline Bull, RCNDE Director and Product Engineering Technical Outreach Lead for AWE; Pat Liddicott, Materials Science and Non-Destructive Evaluation Centre of Expertise Lead at Sellafield Ltd; and Dr Rachel Edwards, part of the Ultrasound Group in Physics and Associate Academic Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement at the University of Warwick. In a series of posts, they are sharing with us their achievements, their experience in the field, and their reflections on the – often bumpy – road towards the greater representation of women in NDE and true gender equality. You can find their stories below and on our social media.
Caroline Bull, RCNDE Director and Principal Engineer, AWE
“I started work in Nondestructive Testing age 17 at UKAEA Harwell, completing key research and inspecting plant and infrastructure across industry sectors worldwide to support the safe running of plant. I have taken opportunities and stepped outside of my comfort zone numerous times, all of which has made me the person I am today.
I have been honoured to be the Director of the UK Research Centre for Nondestructive Evaluation (RCNDE) for nearly two years and lead the successful industry-academia collaboration which has been supporting world-class research, delivering industry benefits, developing NDE professionals for the future and delivering excellence with impact for over 20 years.
Along the way I have met some fantastic women from across the world, who like me, are doing their best to overcome the challenges they face. Often early in my career, this was being the only women working on an inspection.
On International Women’s Day I would like to recognise all women from across the world and encourage all of us to keep going, celebrate our achievements and make a difference in whatever way we can to the world we all live in.”
Patt Liddicott, RCNDE Management Board Industry Chair and Materials Science and Non-Destructive Evaluation Centre of Expertise Lead at Sellafield Ltd
Pat Liddicott is the Materials Science and Non-Destructive Evaluation Centre of Expertise Lead at Sellafield Ltd and manages a small team of materials specialists in the Spent Fuel Management Strategy and Technical team. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and the current Industrial Chair of the RCNDE Management Board. Prior to joining Sellafield Ltd, Pat worked in the shipbuilding and engineering industries having started her career in the 1980’s as a student apprentice metallurgist and progressed to the position of Principal Engineer; during this time, she was the only female engineer in the section. Throughout her career, she has had an interest in how and why materials fail and the links between structure of materials and their properties and overall integrity and non-destructive test methods play a large part in this. Since joining BNFL (now Sellafield Ltd) Pat has been involved in recruiting the next generation of materials engineers and over the last decade a good gender balance has been developed within the materials community, and the Technical profession in general, at Sellafield Ltd. Non-destructive evaluation could be considered a niche career that is male-dominated, but it is encouraging to see a better gender balance of students undertaking PhDs and EngDs supported by RCNDE.
Dr Rachel Edwards, researcher at the Ultrasound Group in Physics and Associate Academic Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement at the University of Warwick
“I am part of the Ultrasound Group in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick. I research different applications of ultrasound in engineering and materials science, with a particular focus on non-contact methods of generating ultrasound, such as EMATs. My background is in physics and materials characterisation, so I am also using EMATs to measure new magnetic materials. I am also developing new methods for engaging different public audiences with Physics / NDT / STEM, and working to encourage more researchers to work with the public.
I got into NDT by accident – I was returning from a postdoc in physics in the US, and the postdoc position at Warwick seemed really interesting. It was good to be able to use physics to do something immediately useful.
The CDTs have been very effective at getting more diversity into NDT, and it is fantastic seeing some of the women from early cohorts now in leadership positions. There is still a lot more work still to be done to ensure NDT is more equitable, but things are definitely improved from when I started in the field.”
We would like to than Caroline, Pat, and Rachel for sharing their stories, as well as the rest of the fantastic women that contribute their knowledge and energy into making RCNDE a leading centre in NDE.
We are pleased to announce the publication of the report arising from the “Workshop on Structural Integrity, NDT and CM Requirements for Industry 4.0”, which was held in May 2022.
The workshop was the result of a collaborative effort between The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT), the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE), the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI), The Alan Turing Institute, and The Welding Institute, and was hosted at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
The report is available to download on the BINDT website or form the RCNDE members’ area (only members).
Following the success of last April’s NDT seminar organised by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), RCNDE is proud to be supporting the upcoming “Reducing Conservatism in Structural Integrity: Plant Life Managements and Extension Evaluations” seminar that will take place onTuesday 21st November at the Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel in Manchester.
The seminar will provide a technical forum for the safe exploration of new ideas and strategies for asset maintenance, monitoring and testing. Projects from both academia and industry will outline successes and lessons learned that can be applied across multiple industries, with examples from Automotive, Nuclear and Aerospace industries shared. It will be a valuable opportunity for the NDE community to work together towards identifying common issues and solutions that can be successfully transferred across sectors.
RCNDE members interested to attend will benefit from discounted rates available for members of supporting organisations.
We are pleased that we will also be represented at the seminar by our Academic Director and Professor of Dynamics at the University of Bristol Paul Wilcox, who will be giving a presentation on Non-Destructive Technologies. For the full programme and details on how to register, please visit the seminar page.
2023 marks the 20-year anniversary since the launch of RCNDE. Created in response to a growing need for a formal entity that would bring together the NDE research and industrial communities, RCNDE has played a key role in enabling research that responds to industrial needs, and has an excellent record of transitioning technologies from research to application.
To celebrate what we have achieved over the last 20 years in partnership with our university, industrial, and associate members, we have produced an anniversary publication. Our “20 Years of Excellence with Impact” brochure provides an overview of who we are, describes our journey since we launched in 2003, spotlights key technology developments and the successes of people in our community, and offers some thoughts on the future of NDE.
You can read and download the RCNDE “20 Years of Excellence with Impact” brochure by clicking on the button below.
Over the course of the last month RCNDE has had the opportunity to participate in two prestigious international research dissemination events in the field of NDT/NDE technology. RCNDE Director, Caroline Bull (AWE) delivered a plenary address titled ‘Updates on Developments at RCNDE’ at the 31st American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Research Symposium, which took place in Columbus, Ohio on 26-29 June. The same event saw two more plenary talks by RCNDE academics: Dr Peter Huthwaite (Imperial College London) spoke on ‘Ultrasound Tomography for NDE’, while Dr Bruce Drinkwater’s (University of Bristol) talk was titled ‘Are the robots coming – perspectives on the use of low-cost mobile robotics in NDE’.
Only a few days later, RCNDE was active in another conference, this time on the other side of the Atlantic. The European Conference on NDT (ECNDT), the flagship event of the European Federation for Non-Destructive Testing (EFNDT), took place in Lisbon on 03-07 July, and featured talks and paper presentations from the RCNDE Management Team, as well as industrial, associate, and academic members. RCNDE shared a stand with the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) at the exhibition that was running concurrently with the panel sessions, enabling us to
On both occasions, it was particularly exciting to see current FIND-CDT doctoral students included in the schedule, and a testament to the high quality of the research they conduct as part of the consortium.
The events also afforded the opportunity to reconnect with current members and collaborators and engage new potential partners. We hope to see these relationships flourish, and we are looking forward to meeting members of the NDE community again soon.
Featured image shows RCNDE Director, Caroline Bull, delivering her plenary address at the ASNT Research Symposium 2023.
The RCNDE spring meetings took place a little earlier this year, and were hosted for the first time in Liverpool, home to one of our newest academic members.
On Monday 24 April, the University of Liverpool set a new standard for Industrial Working Group visits with a tour of labs and facilities that greatly excited academic and industrial visitors. As well as demonstrating the progress and future direction of RCNDE-funded projects, our hosts gave attendees a tour of the Digital Innovation Facility and Optical Coherence Tomography labs, allowing guests the opportunity to become familiar with exciting new developments in research areas that could fruitfully collaborate with NDE.
Tuesday was the day for showcasing the amazing talent of the FIND-CDT and aligned PhD/EngD students, who presented their research to a large audience of academic, industrial, and associate members gather at the Maritime Museum. Not only did the students present an impressive array of complex research topics in a clear and concise manner, but they also answered questions from experts in the audience with confidence and professionalism.
The Annual Review day, which took place on Wednesday, was a celebration of RCNDE in more ways than one. The first part of the day was dedicated to presentations of RCNDE core and impact enhancement projects at various stages of development – from initiation through to mid-point development and completion. The academics presenting had the opportunity to receive feedback on their research, find new contacts for future collaborations, and benefit from the input of the members of the International Advisory Board. The evening was a celebration of RCNDE’s 20th Anniversary; to mark twenty years of serving the NDE community we gathered for a special dinner at the Museum of Liverpool’s People’s Republic gallery. With a breath-taking view of the Albert Dock as backdrop, past and present RCNDE Directors reminisced about the creation of RCNDE, acknowledged the extraordinary contributions of its members over the years, and raised a toast to another successful twenty years.
The series of meetings concluded on Thursday 27 May with a Board meeting, which also featured a hybrid workshop on skills for NDE 4.0. Attendees had the opportunity to reflect on the broad questions the sector needs to consider if it is to rise to the challenge of NDE 4.0, and the input of the members will be collated to assist with the effort of preparing NDE professionals for a new era.
We would like to extend a warm thanks to all of our presenters for a varied and robust programme of research presentations, and to everyone who attended for making these meetings an all-round success! We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in the autumn.
Our 2023 Annual Review and associated meetings are just around the corner. This year we will be visiting Liverpool, home to one of RCNDE’s newest Academic Members, the University of Liverpool.
Meetings are open only to RCNDE members and are an excellent opportunity to network and stay up to date with the research undertaken in RCNDE and its associated Centre for Doctoral training, FIND CDT.
The schedule for the week is as follows:
24th April 2023 – Industrial Working Group and visit to the University of Liverpool’s Digital Innovation Facility, Structural materials and mechanics lab, and Optical Coherence Tomography technique lab.
25th April 2023 – Centre for Doctoral Training Day – presentations from the students of FIND-CDT, which is associated with RCNDE.
26th April 2023 – RCNDE annual review – presentations on the current RCNDE research programme.
27th April 2023 – ‘Skills for NDE 4.0. workshop’ and RCNDE Board meeting.
We are looking forward to seeing new and familiar faces at the events and hope this is once again a thought-provoking and interesting week for all involved.
RCNDE is proud to be sponsoring IMechE’s seminar “Non-Destructive Testing 2023: Designing for full-lifecycle inspection”, which will take place on 19 April at the Argylle Ruane Engineering Training Centre in Sheffield.
The seminar has been conceived in response to the growing lack of connection between asset design processes and the types of inspection that assets will need to undergo at different stages of their deployment. It aspires to bring together members of the NDT community to explore various routes towards bridging that gap and ensuring that NDT requirements are incorporated at the design stage of engineering materials and equipment.
We are pleased that RCNDE will be strongly represented at the seminar, which will feature a panel discussion with our Director, Caroline Bull, and Technology Director, Colin Brett. Two of our academic partners will also be represented: Dr Fred Cegla (Imperial College London) will deliver a talk titled “In-service NDE and SHM system performance assessment”, while Dr Gordon Dobie (University of Strathclyde) will discuss “Automated Inspection Research Developments for Full Lifecycle Inspection”.
Thanks to our support of the event, RCNDE members can attend at a discounted rate, so if you are interested in attending please get in touch with the organising team.
After a series of in-depth consultations with our academic and industry partners, we are proud to present the RCNDE Strategy for the next 5 years. The Strategy was developed in response to the need for a renewed assessment of the challenges and opportunities presented by the environment in which RCNDE and its members perform their activities, and as an opportunity to reflect on RCNDE’s own structure and operating model in order to secure its future.
The Strategy, which is intended to enable RCNDE to deliver on its vision and mission, consists of four overarching goals that capture the needs and aspirations of RCNDE’s membership:
The Centre’s Management Team have identified a series of key activities that will facilitate the delivery of the strategic goals, and which are detailed in the strategy document. A Strategic Delivery Plan will be developed for each year of the Strategy, the progress of which will be regularly monitored by the RCNDE Management Team and overseen by the Centre’s Board.
Additional work will be undertaken to develop robust and transparent Key Performance Indicators that will support the future sustainability of RCNDE.
A copy of the Strategy document can be downloaded below:
The week commencing 30th January saw the return of RCNDE meetings to London after the covid-19 pandemic necessitated a move to a virtual space in 2020. The cold weather did not deter our academic and industrial attendees, and everyone present was glad of the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discuss new projects.
As is RCNDE tradition, the events were inaugurated by the Industrial Working Group visit, which was hosted by Imperial College London on 31st January. After representatives of some of RCNDE’s industrial members gave presentations on their respective industries’ future NDE requirements, attendees were taken on a guided tour of Imperial’s NDE lab facilities and were familiarised with the research currently undertaken and its future trajectory.
The second day saw us moving to the Millennium Gloucester Hotel for the Technology Transfer event, which is always highly anticipated. Representatives from InnovateUK shared with the audience information on the role of KTPs and KTNs in enabling academia-industry collaboration, thereby outlining new opportunities for RCNDE to advance one of its strategic goals. The rest of the day featured an impressive array of eight technical demonstrations from academic and associate members – the highest number we have ever been able to accommodate, and a testament to the increasing importance of Technology Transfer events for disseminating knowledge and building working relations. Attendees had the opportunity to find out about cutting edge research and technology in the wider NDE sector, ask questions of the experts, and exchange ideas on the applications and potential of the technologies presented.
The events concluded with the Board meeting on 2nd February, where RCNDE’s management team presented to the Board members the first ever RCNDE 5-year strategy, which will help RCNDE ensure the realisation of its long-term vision and mission.
As well as marking a return to London after an extended absence, this January’s meetings were also special in offering RCNDE members the opportunity to bid goodbye to RCNDE’s former director, Prof. Robert Smith, who will be retiring soon. A dinner in his honour took place on the evening of the Technology Transfer day, where a moving speech by the current Director, Caroline Bull, and the presence of former RCNDE directors Chris Scruby and Keith Newton paid tribute to Robert’s contribution and his unique place in RCNDE’s history.
RCNDE would like to thank everyone who attended for their contribution to the success of the meetings, and especially all those who gave presentations and offered demonstrations. The enthusiastic response to the events gives us new impetus for future meetings, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in the next round of events, which will take place in Liverpool this April.
Featured image shows, from left to right, former RCNDE Directors Chris Scruby and Keith Newton next to Prof. Robert Smith and RCNDE’s current Director, Caroline Bull.
We are very pleased to share an EPSRC funding success story from academics based in two of RCNDE’s partner universities.
A project proposal titled ‘Fast, efficient and reliable: digital qualification of ultrasonic inspection for safety-critical components’ was submitted to the Digital Manufactuing panel and has secured funding for three years. The project lead, Prof. Peter Huthwaite (Imperial College London) will work with co-investigators Prof. Paul Wilcox (University of Bristol), Prof. Anthony Croxford (University of Bristol), and Prof. Mike Lowe (Imperial College London) to develop digital alternatives to the current practices in inspection qualification for safety critical components across a range of high-value manufacturing sectors. A summary of the project and its objectives is available on the EPSRC website.
Congratulations to the project investigators, and we are excited to follow the project through its development!
Following peer review by members of the academic community and a vote by the RCNDE Full industrial members, the RCNDE management team has recommended that industrial funding be awarded to three projects:
These projects will become part of RCNDE’s Core research programme, and help maintain a healthy portfolio of high-calibre industrially relevant research projects. The kick-off date is currently projected for early 2023, with further details to be announced soon.
Congratulations to the successful research teams, and thank you to everyone who participated in the decision-making process!
Caroline Bull, RCNDE Director, attended the American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Annual Conference, which was held at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Centre in Nashville between 31 October – 3 November 2022.
With over 2000 conference attendees and 150 exhibitors, RCNDE were represented on the BINDT stand. Associate member Peak NDT’s exhibition stand featured work on robotics undertaken by TWI, also an RCNDE associate member.
Peak NDT-sponsored CDT student Nina Sweeny, who is working with Charles MacLeod at Strathclyde, gave a presentation on ‘Towards Ultrasonic driven in-process gas tungsten arc welding inspection and process control’.
As well as attending the conference, Caroline was invited to a meeting of the International NDE community meeting with RCNDE Associate members JSNDI.
As a member of the ASNT Women in NDT Council, she was invited to a panel session of diversity and inclusion in NDT that was attended by conference delegates. Caroline presented on unconscious bias and along with her co-panellists answered questions from the audience on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Featured image shows RCNDE Director, Caroline Bull (right) at the Peak NDT stand with Simon Parke of Peak NDT (centre) and Ross Hanna of TWI Wales (left), who was demonstrating his equipment on the stand.
The latest NDEvR Vision for the future requirements of NDE has been published in Insight, the Journal of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (Insight, Vol. 64, No. 11, pp 625-632, November 2022).
It is the result of a survey of our Industrial Members to find out their priorities for research in NDE. Surveys are carried out every five years to make sure that our projects remain focused on current and expected industrial needs.
The responses have been grouped into three themes: (1) improvements desired in the capabilities of NDE technologies; (2) asset-based inspection challenges that need to be met; and (3) aspects that deliver and help to realise the benefits of Industry 4.0. The Vision produced by RCNDE’s Industrial Members will be used to shape the core research programmes and identify opportunities for new collaborations. It will help to bring forward the application of inspection and monitoring technologies to meet future industrial needs and timescales.
Further information can be obtained from the Centre Manager, Maria Arias (maria.arias@bristol.ac.uk).
Thanks to the generosity of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT), which publishes Insight, we are able to provide a copy of the renewed Vision here:
We are pleased to bring to the attention of the NDE community some upcoming UK workshops organised by the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI). Please find details of the events below:
Creep Cavity Initiation and Early Growth Leading to Failure in Metals and Alloys
11 October 2022, St Anne’s College, Oxford, UK
Pitting Corrosion and Pit-to-Crack Transition: Recent Advances and Remaining Challenges
25 October 2022, University Of Bristol, Bristol, UK
EAC Workshop 2022: Future Challenges in Assessing Environmentally Assisted Cracking in Plant
22 November 2022, Birchwood Park, Warrington, UK
For more information, please visit https://www.fesi.org.uk/events/
The new series of RCNDE Technical Workshops was inaugurated by a very successful first workshop on the topic of ‘Robotics and Automated Deployment’, which took place on Wednesday 21 September. Representatives from Jacobs, Sellafield, Evident, and AOS-TPAC presented their companies’ research and technological advances to an audience of RCNDE associate and full industrial members. Participants had the chance to ask questions on the potential of new technologies, discuss the challenges in adopting and implementing them, and exchange ideas on their uses and the benefits they can yield.
The Technical Workshops series was conceived as a forum for our industrial members to showcase innovative technology-focused research in NDE and foster member-to-member collaboration. Members that are interested in presenting a demo or attending upcoming workshops are welcome to register their interest by emailing us. Topic proposals for future workshops are particularly welcome.
RCNDE members can access recordings of the presentations in the Members’ area of the website: https://rcnde.ac.uk/members/seminars-workshops-special-interest-topics/
A warm thank you to our presenters for their excellent demos and to all the participants for their insight and ideas!
This year’s award announcements at the BINDT Annual Conference 2022 saw several RCNDE members receive some of the organisations most high-profile awards.
Professor Tony Peyton (Manchester University) received the prestigious Roy Sharpe Prize in recognition of a significant contribution through research and development in NDT to the benefit of industry or society. Tony made the opening plenary lecture on a wide range of electromagnetic topics that have been used in industry and for security.
Professor Mike Lowe, Peter Huthwaite, Richard Craster (Imperial College), Stewart Haslinger (Liverpool University) and Fan Shi (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) received the John Grimwade medal for the best paper published by a member of BINDT in Insight during 2021. Their paper was entitled “Prediction of reflection amplitudes for ultrasonic inspection of rough planar defects”.
Last but not least, Dr Colin Brett, RCNDE Technology Director, received the Anne Birt Award, intended “to recognise significant contributions to technology innovation, technology transfer or technology strategy in the field of NDT over a period of at least 5-10 years.” Colin has 35 years of experience in the power generation industry working within the NDE and Structural Integrity fields for the CEGB, PowerGen, E.ON and Uniper. The award recognises the breadth and depth of his experience and continuing contributions to the sector. The award was accompanied by a prize lecture by Colin, titled “Inspection challenges from a career in the power generation industry”.
Congratulations to all awardees!
Featured image shows Dr Colin Brett delivering his Anne Birt prize lecture.
Members of the RCNDE management team and researchers from partner Universities became ambassadors for RCNDE and the NDE sector by participating in the BINDT NDT 2022 conference and Material Testing Exhibition that took place 6-8 September at Telford. A formidable combination of lectures, conference presentations, and live demonstrations garnered much interest from attendees and sowed the seeds of future collaborations.
The successful RCNDE Showcase, an integral part of BINDT Conference running over all three days, highlighted the excellent work of academics and students from RCNDE’s University partners. Presentations on ultrasonic, eddy current, electromagnetic methods; novel techniques; materials characterisation; NDE4.0 and future technologies generated interesting questions and follow up discussions.
RCNDE’s academic partners raised interest in new techniques and technologies through demonstrations as part of the Materials Testing Exhibition. The exhibition also provided an opportunity for many of the businesses represented to discuss the benefits of RCNDE membership with us and we hope to be welcoming them soon.
Caroline Bull, RCNDE Director, would like to thank all those who made the RCNDE Showcase and Exhibition such a success.
Featured image shows the MT Exhibition demo from Strathclyde University at the RCNDE stand.
The RCNDE is organising a host of events in the coming months, ranging from a research showcase to technical workshops and more. Please find full details below:
RCNDE showcase event at BINDT Annual conference – 06-08 September, The International Centre, Telford.
RCNDE Board Meeting – 14 September, online.
RCNDE Technical Workshops: Robotics and Automated Deployment – 21 September, online.
IWG meeting and Strategy workshop – 18 October, Nottingham (venue TBC).
We are looking forward to seeing you there.
The RCNDE is delighted to welcome Caroline Bull as its new Director. Following her appointment as Director Elect in January, Caroline has been working alongside departing RCNDE Director Professor Robert Smith and the rest of the team to gain an understanding of the centre’s ongoing work and plans for the future.
Caroline is bringing to the post her extensive industry and leadership experience, which includes her continuing role as the Product Engineering Technical Outreach Lead for nuclear defence experts AWE. Her grounding in the fields NDT and engineering started age 17 at Harwell Laboratory and, following her studies in Physics and Maths at the University of Reading under UKAEA sponsorship, has led to a long and successful trajectory in the industry.
During 35 years of industry involvement, Caroline has participated in research programmes, performed NDT inspections at home and abroad, and assumed a series of leadership positions, including the presidency of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) in January 2017. In addition to supporting BINDT activities as a Past President, Caroline is a member of BINDT Council, the NDT Technical Committee, NDE 4.0 Working Group, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and the Engineering Council Working Group. She is also a member of the newly formed UK NDT Leadership Forum Executive and of the American Society of NDT (ASNT) Women in NDT Council supporting equality, diversity and inclusion.
Caroline officially assumed her duties as RCNDE Director in July 2022, and is already utilising her breadth and depth of knowledge and experience, as well as her keen interest in research and innovation, to steer the RCNDE in new and exciting directions.
We would like to warmly thank Robert for his work as RCNDE Director over the past three and a half years, and for successfully navigating the changing landscape of the relationship between our research and industry. Thank you, Robert, and welcome Caroline!
The RCNDE board members have agreed to offer a new category of RCNDE industrial membership for not-for-profit or national laboratory-type organisations.
Such organisations are anticipated to have roles related to fulfilling national objectives for steering and supporting the NDE research and technology translation in a specific sector or across multiple sectors. These organisations are expected not to be explicitly deriving commercial benefit from their activities, and they may enable RCNDE to access to other funding opportunities, advice on industrial vision & research direction, strategic links and access to collaborative technology-transfer programmes.
Qualifying organisations for this membership category would be an RCNDE board member with full voting rights, and would benefit from a 50% discount on the standard annual membership fee for full industrial members. The consideration of an organisation for this membership category would involve assessing an organisation’s characteristics against a non-prescriptive set of criteria. These criteria will include the type of organisation e.g. not-for profit; charity; regulator/standards organisation; trade association; Catapult centre (or equivalent non-UK organisation), the amount of public funding received and the organisation not needing free rights to use RCNDE Core IP.
Following the overall assessment against such criteria, the RCNDE management team would decide whether to recommend that the RCNDE Management Board considers the case for this membership category and makes a vote on the decision.
If you think your company could fit into this new membership category and want to know more about the process, please contact RCNDE’s Centre Manager Maria Arias (maria.arias@bristol.ac.uk)
The event hosted by the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT), in collaboration with the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE), the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI), The Alan Turing Institute and The Welding Institute took place in the Manufacturing technology Centre (MTC) on 18-19 May 2022. It saw the NDE, SHM and CM communities working together toward defining their collective requirements for Industry 4.0. A mix of presentations, breakout sessions and discussions that provided a valuable insight to all present about how to realise the potential of Industry 4.0. and what can these communities contribute to it.
A full downloadable report is now being prepared and will be available at the BINDT’s website shortly.
RCNDE May meetings took place in Bristol in the week commencing 9th May and have been described as an overall success by all attendees! After more than two years without in person meetings, everyone was pleased to reconnect and go back to face to face interactions making the full week of meetings a vibrant and exciting environment for all involved. Despite being a long week for many, everyone left wanting more!
The series of meetings started with the Industrial Working group meeting and visit to the University of Bristol lab on the Monday. These visits are a great opportunity for our university partners to showcase their facilities and give the industrial members a good flavour of what they can do in the lab. On the other hand, the industrial members provide the hosting university group with an overview of the needs and requirements for NDE technologies in their respective sectors.
Tuesday’s meeting moved to the Watershed Cinema in Bristol and saw the students of the Quantitative NDE and FIND CDT providing a brilliant overview of their projects. Due to the high number of students, two cinema rooms and two parallel sessions were required. It was a pleasure to see both sessions were well attended and participants were very impressed with the quality of the PhD projects and students.
Wednesday was the big day with the RCNDE academic community providing a “tour de force” of the current research projects of the Centre. Once more, participants were highly impressed by the quality, robustness and inspiring research and all the presenters received excellent feedback. To finish the day in style, the centre organised a top-class dinner to mark the retirement of one of RCNDE’s founders, Prof Peter Cawley.
The last meeting of the week was the Board meeting where Board members were informed of the latest news and initiatives by the RCNDE Management Team.
A busy week for many, but a successful one for all those involved!
The progress of every RCNDE project is reviewed regularly in terms of its Technological and Commercial Readiness Levels (TRL and CRL).
At the project proposal stage, this evaluation system allows the starting point and anticipated end point of a project proposal to be communicated in such a way that the expectations of all the involved parties can be defined closely and thereby minimise the risk of disappointment in a project outcome. It is also used to measure progress when a project is being undertaken, and describes the future steps that will be needed to make the technology more useful to the end user.
When a project or technology reaches a level where it is becoming more mature and likely to be implementable by industry, RCNDE holds a “Technology Readiness Workshop”, attended by the developers and potential end users, where all the Technical and Commercial aspects are reviewed closely. This process highlights any developmental shortfalls and identifies possible paths towards full implementation.
Find out more about this process here.
Planning for RCNDE’s series of meetings in May 2022 is underway. Please note that they will be face-to-face in Bristol (we are very pleased to have the chance to reconnect in person), and details are as follows:
– Industrial Working Group, Monday 9 May
– CDT day, Tuesday 10 May
– Annual review, Wed 11 May
– Board meeting, Thurs 12 May.
RCNDE is leading the work in identifying the specific NDE requirements for Industry 4.0.
RCNDE is involved with the NDT Leadership Forum, established by RCNDE’s Director and chaired by Mark Dowell.
We are delighted to announce that Caroline Bull has been appointed as the next RCNDE Director, taking over from Professor Robert Smith. In order to ensure a smooth transition, Caroline is RCNDE Director Elect with immediate effect, taking over the role of Director by September 2022. In the interim Caroline will work with Robert and the team to gain an understanding of RCNDE’s priorities (particularly in relation to offering added value to members and influencing Industry 4.0) in addition to developing ideas for the future.
Caroline, who will continue to work as the Product Engineering Technical Outreach Lead for nuclear defence experts AWE, brings over 35 years’ of industrial experience in addition to a strong technical background in NDT and engineering. Her extensive leadership experience – including connections to the national and international NDT communities, academia, industry and a multitude of professional engineering organisations – made her the ideal candidate for the role of RCNDE Director.
Since starting her career at the age of 17 at UKAEA and studying Physics and Maths at the University of Reading under UKAEA sponsorship, Caroline has participated in many research programmes and travelled the world completing NDT inspections, both on and offshore. She was registered as a Chartered Engineer in 2003 and became President of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) in January 2017. As the now ex-President, Caroline continues to support and represent BINDT as required and is a member of BINDT Council, the NDT Technical Committee, NDE 4.0 Working Group, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and Engineering Council Working Group. She is also a member of the American Society of NDT (ASNT) Women in NDT Group supporting equality, diversity and inclusion.
This breadth of experience and knowledge, together with a keen interest in enabling innovation, research and knowledge transfer will ensure that Caroline is well-placed to lead the RCNDE in the future.
Finally, we wish to thank Robert for his vision and leadership, and for steering the ‘RCNDE ship’ over the last three and a half years. He has played a significant part in ensuring that we remain relevant and forward-thinking, particularly in relation to on-going work to transition our research into industry and to influence the strategic direction of the NDE sector. He has also been pivotal in supporting our transition to a stand-alone, sustainable, ongoing partnership between industry and academia, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it brought.
The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT), in collaboration with the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE) and the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), has scheduled a workshop considering requirements for civil structures.
The aim of this workshop is to bring together regulators, insurers, designers, civil and structural engineers, contractors, operators and owners of civil structures with the non-destructive testing (NDT), condition monitoring (CM) and structural health monitoring (SHM) communities to determine and document both current and future requirements for inspection, monitoring and asset management.
For more information, go to the BINDT website.
The RCNDE community may be interested in this event hosted by the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT), in collaboration with the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE), the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI), The Alan Turing Institute and The Welding Institute.
“Industry 4.0 will completely change the production and operation of nearly every manufactured item in the developed world. Intelligent systems will enhance and sometimes supersede human decision-making in production and operation, and industry will no longer be limited by human cognitive ability. Outcomes will be higher productivity, lower through-life costs and greater safety and reliability, benefitting industry, the global economy and everyone who uses machines or travels in vehicles.”
For more information, go to the BINDT website.
FULL MEMBERS: Funding for full members to attend this event is available from the RCNDE – contact us by email if you are a full member and would like to attend.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: A preferential rate is available to RCNDE associate members – go to the BINDT website for details.
We are pleased to welcome to RCNDE two new academic partners: The Universities of Liverpool and Southampton.
University of Liverpool
Research at the University of Liverpool spans many engineering disciplines, and specialises in fields of interest to the RCNDE membership including aerodynamics, flight dynamics and simulation, experimental and computational fluid dynamics, experimental mechanics, structural and functional materials, laser and additive manufacturing, biomaterials and biomechanics, and nuclear engineering.
Dr William Christian, from the Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering department, will be leading the engagement between the University of Liverpool and RCNDE. Will’s research is focused on the characterisation of defects in structural materials using optical stress and strain measurement techniques such as digital image correlation and thermoelastic stress analysis.
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton µ-VIS X-Ray Imaging Centre combines state-of-the-art equipment with the expertise of over 40 academics to undertake cutting-edge research in high resolution X-Ray tomographic imaging. It aims to provide a holistic approach to advanced 3D (volume) imaging, supporting all steps between original domain problem/query, through to verified, publishable conclusions.
Dr Thomas Blumensath is an Associate Professor at the University of Southampton and will be the main link between the University of Southampton and RCNDE. His research focuses on fundamental signal and image processing techniques and their application to a range of scientific problems. He is particularly interested in x-ray image reconstruction and their application to Industrial imaging problems.
A £1.4 M pioneering new project examining how ultrasonic imaging can be delivered remotely aims to revolutionise the quality of manufacturing processes.
The three-year project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is aiming to develop a new capability for real-time, remote ultrasonic imaging that can be used for non-destructive evaluation in industry.
**IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR MEMBERS: January 2022 meetings now online**
In light of the current COVID-19 situation, please note that we have decided to hold the following meetings for members online:
– Industrial Working Group, 24 Jan 2022
– Technology Transfer Day, 25 Jan 2022, and
– 58th RCNDE Board meeting, 26 January 2022.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) held a Workshop on Technologies for Advanced NDE at High Temperatures on 30th September to summarise the state-of-the-art for performing inspections at more than 350°C. The aim was to build a network of vendors and technology researchers to facilitate collaborations in this area, with future nuclear builds being a key driver.
For the latest in NDE technologies and research, RCNDE’s virtual stand at the 1st HOIS World Conference on Digitalisation of Inspection and Asset Integrity in the Energy Industry is well worth a visit. Our first virtual exhibition, we are sharing our unique perspective as a bridge between industry need and the latest NDE research. Continue Reading
We are proud that many of our members and academic partners featured in the The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT)’s NDT 2021 virtual Webinar Week from 6-10 September 2021. Continue Reading
Professor Robert Smith, Director of RCNDE, explains the crucial role that NDT plays in our every day lives in an article written for Quality Magazine. While its influence is evident now, he stresses how it will continue to be pivotal in the future, playing a central role in the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0: “NDT will make greener air, land and sea travel possible and affordable by increasing confidence in structural design, allowing lighter-weight structures and reducing fuel consumption.”
