NDT is considered essential for the safety of aircraft, off-shore oil installations, gas pipelines, railroads, chemical plant, power stations, civil engineering structures and a wide range of industrial products. As the technology develops, applications are emerging in medicine and in on-line and off-line testing for quality control in the manufacturing industry, including in the automotive and electronics sectors.

With the increasing use of composite materials and the potential for the use of ‘smart’ materials embedded in structures, the UK government has a strong interest in promoting the development of appropriate NDT technology to ensure the safety and quality of products built from such materials.

UWTSD was a key partner, with TWI Ltd, in the establishment of the NDT Validation Centre at the TWI Technology Centre Wales, based in Port Talbot, South Wales. This was the first time that a significant Department for Trade and Industry project of this nature has been established in Wales, and consequently the project has high-visibility, with strong support from the Welsh Government and a range of prestigious international clients. The demand for NDT is evident by the establishment of a major collaborative project between Rolls Royce, Bombardier, GNK Aerospace, Airbus and TWI Ltd, in which UWTSD was a lead academic partner.

The University’s Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering has created several PhD studentships with TWI Technology Centre Wales, along with other strategically important industrial partners, including Oceaneering SIS and Eddyfi Ltd. UWTSD has appointed a dedicated Professor of Applied NDT along with a number of Research Associates in NDT at the University. To supplement its widely recognised and respected Research and Development work, the University also offers the only NDT postgraduate qualification in Europe. The highly valued MSc programme supports the global demand for well-qualified engineers who can operate at senior management level, dealing with a range of graduate or postgraduate engineers.

In addition, Professor Ian Cooper, principal project leader at TWI, has been appointed a Professor of Practice at UWTSD where he regularly contributes to the academic portfolio including providing a recent lecture on ‘Integrity and Safety of Welded bonded and fabricated structures’. Professor Cooper highlighted the benefits of Industrial collaboration with universities and showcased some leading-edge research that has benefitted from close collaboration with the Non Destructive Testing (NDT) group at UWTSD led by Professor Peter Charlton.

Professor Charlton said: ‘Non Destructive Testing is a strategically important industry within Wales. With the support of our industrial partners and in particular the ongoing collaboration with Professor Ian Cooper and TWI Technology Centre Wales, the University is fast becoming a global leader in cutting edge applied NDT research.’

Professor Cooper said: ‘TWI Wales has developed a reputation for developing leading edge NDT solutions to challenging applications across a range of industries. What makes us stronger in such a challenging market is the ability to draw upon the skills and knowledge of our academic partners, and in particular, the close collaboration we have with Professor Charlton’s NDT group.’