Received a PhD in Physics from the University of Lancaster 1973.  Worked as a post-doc at Carnegie-Mellon University, USA, 1973-5 returned to the UK and was appointed Lecturer in the School of Materials Science at the University of Bath 1976. Awarded Personal Chair 1996. Director of the University of Bath Materials Research Centre. Member of the UK Research Centre in Non Destructive Evaluation. Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Fellow of the British Institute of NDT.

Principle NDT research: the development of thermal wave and thermographic non-destructive evaluation techniques.In recent years, the work has focussed on the development and evaluation of novel thermal NDE techniques for the detection and imaging of surface cracks in metallic engineering components.  Three types of technique have been studied which involve: ultrasonic heating, laser heating and induction heating.  All three techniques have been shown to offer a new, rapid and sensitive means of crack detection.  Also involved in the development of pulsed and modulated excitation thermography.  The capabilities of the thermal NDE techniques are being quantitatively compared with each other and with competing ultrasonic and shearographic techniques.  Substantial contributions have been made to the fundamental understanding of the defect detection limits of the thermographic NDE techniques.

Other research interests have included:

Modelling and interpretation of the AC electrical characteristics of materials; emergent properties of complex systems in the form of materials with real complex microstructures; use of ultrasonic and modulated optical reflectance techniques to study and characterise high temperature superconducting materials and composite materials: fatigue and effects of impact damage and manufacturing defects.

Abstract

Thermographic techniques for the detection of cracks in metallic components.

The presentation will show that thermographic NDT, which has long been associated with the detection of sub-surface in-plane faults in composites or coatings, also has great potential to compete with DPI and MPI for the detection of cracks in metallic components. Work on three thermographic NDE techniques that have been developed to locate and image cracks in metallic components will be reviewed.  These techniques are: thermosonics (sonic IR, ultrasonically stimulated thermography); laser spot thermographic imaging and pulsed eddy current stimulated (induction) thermography.  The three techniques will be explained and examples will be given of their performance in imaging well characterised cracks.  Factors concerning the practical and reliable implementation of the techniques will be discussed.