Ultrasound Nondestructive Evaluation

Defects and flaws that form either during initial fabrication or through use can result in catastrophic failure. Whether it is an airplane engine disintegrating in flight or a bridge collapsing, missed flaws can result in the deaths of many people. It is for this reason that finding and characterizing flaws is critical for continued safety and reliability of engineered structures and systems. While the use of ultrasound for flaw detection is a relatively mature field, new fabrication techniques such as additive manufacturing require new approaches for accurate flaw detection and characterization. In addition, the size and stresses of many engineered structures such as wind turbine blades introduce challenges in terms of safe and timely inspection. Therefore, the goal of this special issue is to look at some of the current uses of ultrasound in these emerging areas of technology.

Guest Editor Timothy A Bigelow Associate Professor Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Iowa State University, 255D Applied Sciences Complex II, 1915 Scholl Road, Ames, IA 50011, USA

Guest Editor Hossein Taheri Assistant Professor Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Georgia Southern University, PO Box 7991, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA