FIFTH CANADIAN CONFERENCE ON NONDESTRUCTIVE ... - IAEA

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interrogated, from which an interpretation of 'significance' then becomes
easier to make, in support of fracture mechanics predictions.
A whole range of advanced data assimilation and signal processing systems
have recently been developed. We have recently developed and evaluated one
such system which rapidly digitises and stores every A-scan and allows recall
at will in a variety of presentational modes.
We are also helping to contribute to a new generation of non-amplitude
dependent ultrasonic sizing techniques with what we call the time-of-flight
diffraction (TOFD) technique. We and others are also working on the more
difficult 'classification' problem of identifying and characterising defects
from the fine-scale information contained in the defect signal.
Another fresh-fields approach in NDT that I see developing is to move away
from 'eye-ball' defects in order to detect significant imperfections that are
of much smaller dimension. We are contributing to this in the further
development and evaluation of high definition radiography and fluoroscopy and
in studying the problems associated with inspecting engineering ceramics,
where the critical defects for initiating brittle failure are measured in
microns rather that millimetres.
Yet another trend, that should appeal to many, is aimed at hastening the
obsolescence of NDT on the product line by modelling the effects of variables
in the manufacturing process so as to try to reduce the incidence of
defective products, by providing greater control of the process itself. As
an example of this approach we are at the present time theoretically
modelling the paint spray process in order to understand the effects of
process variables on the final product, so that it should hopefully be
possible to produce a more consistent 'quality', in this case in a robotised
paint spraying process.
Perhaps a final fresh fields approach as far as NDT is concerned should be
that of being less introverted; by spending more time looking over one's
shoulder to see which way other technologies are developing and making
maximum use of such parallel experience wherever it is relevant to the
furtherance of NDT practices.
Bearing in mind that NDT only a few years ago was a 'bottom of the heap'
technology kept alive only by a dedicated band of enthusiasts, it is
particularly encouraging that it has recently attracted so much academic and
management interest and as a consequence is opening up its frontiers in so
many new and challenging directions. Looking into the future of NDT is, in
fact, quite a stimulating and heartening experience at the present time and
the possiblities certainly open up a whole new horizon of opportunity whilst,
at the same time, exposing many problems and pitfalls associated with communication
(up, down and sideways) that will need to be tackled and overcome.