Olympus Industrial Chair on Ultrasonics Nondestructive Testing

About the Chair

The first practical ultrasonic testing system was patented 75 years ago. Since that time, ultrasonic testing has evolved to become the most widely used nondestructive testing method in the world. The current research in ultrasonic testing focuses on advanced imaging methods and the nondestructive characterization of materials.

Olympus NDT is the leading manufacturer and distributor of nondestructive testing equipment in the world. Its equipment is used for industrial applications and for research in the aerospace, energy and automobile sectors.

Research

Although ultrasonic testing is the most widely used nondestructive testing method in the world, there are still a number of challenges to overcome. The results of ultrasonic testing still rely to a high degree on the inspectors who carry out the testing, because interpreting the signals or images can be difficult. In light of this, one of the objectives of the Olympus research Chair is to simplify the interpretation of current methods of ultrasonic testing.
In addition, there are a number of applications for which current inspection methods are slow and cumbersome. Therefore, another of the objectives of the Chair is to develop new inspection methods.
The final objectives of this industrial research Chair include the development of experimental and simulation methods and the training of highly skilled personnel.