RESEARCH GROUP COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES UPPER AUSTRIA - RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LTD.

K-Project for Non-destructive Testing and Tomography

K-Project ZPT: September 2009 - August 2014

The need for NDT methods is driven by the development/innovation of new products, materials and technologies and by the demand for enhanced quality control and cost reduction in industry. Many countries have already established specialized research centre for NDT. With the K-Project an applications-orientated NDT research centre will be created in Austria concentrating and strengthening research on modern NDT methods and application in the country. The combined expertise on NDT-methods and applications-oriented materials science will build a unique knowledge base with regard to non-destructive evaluation. The main focus will be on the following methods...

Multi-scale X-ray computed tomography down to high resolutions below 500 nm
Optical coherence tomography for analysis of defects and strain
Active thermography for quantitative analysis as well as photo acoustics and non-contact ultrasound for structural investigations
Data evaluation methods for quantitative heterogeneity and critical defect analysis

Motivation

Methods of non-destructive testing (NDT) – in particular 3D methods – have gained great importance over the past years. To examine materials and components without influencing their form or their further use – precisely non-destructive – is a popular wish in modern quality control. Non-destructive testing methods meet these demands and at the same time grant central information about the structure and dimension, the physical and mechanical properties, the composition and the chemical analysis of the materials and components. Because of these considerable advantages and the great demand for material- and technological innovations, improved product safety and cost reduction, the research of NDT methods is increasingly pressed ahead by the industry.

Projekt-ZPT FH-Nanotom

Projekt-ZPT TU 100115 mg2si

The use of non-destructive testing methods is already common in many fields of industry and further application possibilities increase constantly. Numerous states have reacted to the demands of the industry and created specialized NDT-research centers. With the K-Project Austria too will create an application-oriented cooperative NDT-research center.

Goals and Fields of Research

The main goals of the “K-Project for Non-destructive Testing and Tomography” are to increase the competitiveness of the Austrian industry, to improve and strengthen the research infrastructure and to create a unique NDT-knowledge base. A distinctive feature of the K-Project is the combination of NDT-expertise and application-oriented material science. The following two strategic research fields will be worked through multi-company and strategic projects:

Area 1: Non-destructive Testing for Critical Defect Analysis in Materials
Area 2: Tomography

Subprojects

NDT and defect analysis in heterogeneous polymer materials
Non-contact ultrasonics, thermography and IR-spectroscopy
Heterogeneities in metallic cast structures
New tomography methods
X-ray computed tomography for dimensional measurements
Interaction of waves with anisotropic materials and structures
Evaluation of critical defects and structures by in-situ and high resolution methods
Technology transfer and educational program

Methods

The primary research focus lies on the following methods:

Multi-scale X-ray computed tomography down to high resolutions below 500nm
Optical coherence tomography
Active thermography and photo acoustics
Non-contact ultrasound und terahertz testing
Data evaluation methods for quantitative heterogeneity and critical defect analysis

Internationale Partner

BAM – Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin/D
FEDERA MS – Federation Rhone-Alpes Materiaux de Structure et Proprietes d’usage/FR
Kath. University Leuven, Research group “Materials Performance and Non-Destructive Testing”, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Leuven/BE
Slovak Academy of Science, Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics, Bratislava/SK
University Stuttgart, Institute of Polymer Engineering, NDT Department, Stuttgart/D