Non-Destructive Evaluation

We are developing methods to incorporate CAD tools with non-destructive evaluation (NDE) simulators. The utility of NDE simulators can be significantly improved by incorporating state-of-the-art CAD modeling kernels that can handle complex components designed using commercial CAD systems. These projects are being developed in collaboration with the Center for Non-Destructive Evaluation (CNDE) at Iowa State University.

Research Projects

Automatic Incorporation of Defects into CAD Models of Composites

This project funded by NASA will automate the incorporation of NDE ultrasonic data into CAD models of composite aircraft structures.

Automatic incorporation of delaminations into a CAD model and performing structural analysis.

3D Geometric Modeling for NDE

NDE simulators rely on common geometric operations such as ray-intersection, inside-outside tests, and volume rendering of voxel data for many simulations. This project will enable development of a CAD module that can be used by different simulators as well as handle complex geometries, including those that arise from complex castings and composite structures.

Using complex geometries in Ultrasonic NDE simulator UTSim2.

Algorithm for ray intersection with complex NURBS surfaces.