Signal Processing in Advanced Nondestructive Materials Inspection

Call for Papers

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is a noninvasive technique widely used in industry to detect, size, and evaluate different types of defects in materials, and it plays an important role whenever integrity and safe operation of engineered components and structures are concerned. Efficient and reliable nondestructive evaluation techniques are necessary to ensure the safe operation of complex parts and construction in an industrial environment for assessing service life, acceptability, and risk, as well as for reducing or even eliminating human error, thus rendering the inspection process automated, more reliable, reproducible, and faster. Examples of widely used conventional nondestructive techniques are ultrasonics, radiography, computed tomography, infrared thermography, and electromagnetic-based techniques.

As nondestructive testing is not a direct measurement method, the nature and size of defects must be obtained through analysis of the signals obtained from inspection. Signal processing has provided powerful techniques to extract information on material characterization, size, defect detection, and so on. For instance, in the case of images, the major processing and analysis methods include image restoration and enhancement, morphological operators, wavelet transforms, image segmentation, as well as object and pattern recognition, facilitating extraction of special information from the original images, which would not, otherwise, be available. Additionally, 3D image processing can provide further information if an image sequence is available.

Nowadays, techniques of nondestructive testing have evolved greatly due to recent advances in microelectronics and signal processing and analysis. For example, many image processing and analysis techniques can now be readily applied at standard video rates using commercially available hardware, in particular, to methods that generate TV-type image sequences, such as real-time radiography, pulse-video thermography, ultrasonic-phased array, laser ultrasonics, and shearography.

The main objective of this special issue of “Signal processing in nondestructive materials inspection” is to promote a comprehensive forum for discussion on the recent advances in signal processing techniques applied to nondestructive material inspection.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Signal processing and analysis in advanced NDT
  • Image processing and analysis in advanced NDT
  • Materials characterization using advanced NDT
  • Defect detection and characterization using advanced NDT
  • Pattern recognition and classification for advanced NDT
  • 3D image reconstruction from advanced NDT data
  • Applications of advanced NDT
  • Algorithms development for signal processing and analysis in advanced NDT
  • Software development for defect detection and characterization in NDT images

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/asp/guidelines.html. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable:

Manuscript DueJanuary 1, 2010
First Round of ReviewsApril 1, 2010
Publication DateJuly 1, 2010

Lead Guest Editor

  • João Manuel R. S. Tavares, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Guest Editor

  • João Marcos A. Rebello, Department of Metallurgy and Materials, Technological Center, Faculty of Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Room F-210, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil