Student: Jonathan Duffy, Undergraduate Student in Electrical Engineering, Iowa State University
Research Mentor: Ashraf Bastawros
Non-Destructive device for measuring defects and degradation within metals.
Metals in space can degrade over time, and mechanical stresses can produce cracks or voids. The purpose of this project is to develop a non- destructive way of evaluating the damage to a sample of material, by measuring the resistance at the surface. I will be working with Dr. Ashraf Bastawros, who will do the science behind the defects and degradation itself, based on the the measurements. I will be creating the device to take measurements of the samples, and making a program to process the raw data into usable values. We are working on a system capable of detecting any flaws, on the surface or within the volume of a material, measuring their shape, size, and severity, all without altering or damaging the material in any way. It currently uses a DC current run through a four-point probe, and a simple algorithm for inversion that assumes a homogeneous resistivity. We plan to transition to variable-frequency AC measurement, and a full 3D inversion algorithm in order to accomplish this.