Workshop on structural integrity, NDT and CM requirements for Industry 4.0

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!

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.

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.

First workshop on NDT, CM and SHM requirements for civil structures

28-29 June 2022 *previously advertised as 8-9 March*
Institute of Civil Engineers, London, UK

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.

Workshop on structural integrity, NDT and CM requirements for Industry 4.0

18-19 May 2022
Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Pilot Way, Ansty Business Park, Coventry CV7 9JU, UK

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.

**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.