Modelling of Ultrasonic Response from Rough Defects

Completed

Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fission, Other nuclear fission)
Not Energy Related
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electric power conversion)

Basic and strategic applied research

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Professor M J S Lowe
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Imperial College London

Standard

EPSRC

01 January 2011

31 December 2013

36 months

£292,750

Mechanical engineering

London

NC : Engineering

Professor M J S Lowe, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London

Professor R Craster, Mathematics, Imperial College London

Project Contact, Rolls Royce Naval Marine
Project Contact, EDF Energy
Project Contact, University of Eastern Finland

This proposal seeks funding for a three year research programme into the back-scattering of ultrasound from rough surfaces, with specific application to the Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of rough cracks. This addresses an important industrial goal: to be able to predict with confidence the reflection of ultrasound from a rough defect, at any chosen angle and frequency, which could then be used to make the case for a desired plan for inspection. The research will extend knowledge in two complementary areas: the creation of an "envelope" approach to predict the minimum back-scatter to be expected with confidence from a statistical description of the roughness, and the development of Finite Element modelling procedures to guarantee accurate, but efficient, modelling of the scattering from detailed representations of specific rough defects. The work will be undertaken jointly by a mathematical and an engineering team, both at Imperial College.The proposal is being submitted within the UK Research Centre in NDE (RCNDE) to the targeted research programme, the funding for which is earmarked by EPSRC for industrially driven research

07/12/10