AET: Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) of Materials Lab

The goal of the Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE)  laboratory is to introduce AET students to methods and techniques of NDE of parts and materials. Students learn engineering and physical principles of measurements of sound velocity in different materials, attenuation coefficients, directivity pattern of ultrasonic transducers, and location and dimensions of heterogeneities in various materials, such as holes, cracks, cavities, and flaws.

The NDE laboratory will serve as a training center for undergraduate AET students, as well as for the workforce of companies, such as Boeing, MISTRAS/CONAM, Lockheed Martin, and PECO Energy. The establishment of a state-of-the art laboratory for NDE purposes allows Drexel and its community-college partners to develop training options for technicians located in the region’s key industries.  NDE curriculum is designed to fulfill Levels I & II NDE in theory and training requirements, according to American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Recommended Practice.

Development of this laboratory is supported by the NSF Grant # 0632734 “Implementation of the Internet-Based Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory for Applied Engineering Technology Curriculum.”

For more information, please contact  Dr. Vladimir Genis.

During the laboratory sessions, students are able to control NDE devices via computers allowing integration of the experiments with Internet-based automation technologies.		Students learn calibration procedures using automatic flaw detectors USN 58 and USM 35X.
The industrial case studies in laboratory environment enhance the fundamentals taught in the classroom sessions.		Instruction is provided by the full-time faculty and industrial partners.
The simulation of the NDE applications used by the companies in industry is implemented in the project.		After completion of all laboratory sessions, each team is responsible for writing a final report. The team members present their findings to the class.