Continuation of EPSRC funding for RCNDE
13/03/2008
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced a further six years' funding for the UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE). The funding commitment from April 2008 follows on from the first five years' funding, which established RCNDE in 2003.The EPSRC-sponsored collaboration between industry and academia coordinates research into NDE technologies, and ensures research topics are relevant to the medium to longer-term needs of industry. The Centre's objectives remain undertaking excellent exploitable research, delivering industrial benefit and enhancing industrial NDE.
Many of the university and company members of RCNDE are associate members of The British Institute of NDT, and there is a large overlap between the members' representatives and members, fellows and officials of the Institute.
RCNDE's new core research programme was designed following an extensive discussion between academic and industrial members. Industry has a number of generic long-term NDE priorities ranging from the detection of early stage defects, precursors and degradation, enhancements for better characterisation of defects and aiding the application of NDE, and new delivery systems. Also of common interest to all industries are reliability and the validation of NDE. However, in addition, there are a number of more industry-specific and very challenging NDE applications. EPSRC and industry jointly fund a number of core research projects which address directly or indirectly these needs. The projects include developing the next generation of defect sizing methods required for increasingly stringent structural integrity assessments, exploiting scientific advances made in other areas to introduce innovative technology into NDE, and developing novel strategies for permanently installed systems to meet the growing demand for structural health monitoring.
The medium-to-long term NDE requirements of industrial members inform the selection of projects for the RCNDE targeted research programme. This portfolio of projects has a focus on application in industry. The third main area of activity is strongly industry-driven R&D to generate credible solutions to NDE problems. It includes feasibility and problem-solving studies, overcoming final technical obstacles to product development, and technology transfer.
RCNDE brings new technology, new interdisciplinary alliances and new people into the NDE industry. A further objective is to place NDE as a fully integrated part of the engineering life cycle. This requires strengthened links between NDE and mathematics, materials, engineering design, structural integrity and condition monitoring. The Engineering Doctorate in NDE will also contribute to achieving this goal.
The NDE supply chain is a vital element for successfully transferring technological advances arising from university research to their eventual practical application in industry. The Centre seeks to involve all parts of the NDE supply chain through Associate membership. Technology transfer will become an increasing focus for RCNDE members as the research from the first phase matures.
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