(From ZHOU Yinqiu of Ultrasonic Physics and Exploration Laboratory) Prof. Jan. D. Achenbach, world well-known scientist in solid mechanics and quantitative non-destructive evaluation field paid a visit to IACAS on Jun.2, 2010. He is also the chief editor of famous international magazine -- Wave Motion. During his visit, Prof. Achenbach gave a lecture entitled "QNDE and SHM of Safety-Critical Structures". WANG Xiaomin, director of IACAS attended the lecture and gave a welcome speech.
In the lecture, Prof. Achenbach first explained a new method to resolve SAW problems by using elastodynamic Reciprocity Principle. Second, he reviewed and showed examples of the historical process of Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation and Inspection. Then he indicated that with the advent of information era and the rapid development of technology, such inspections of key structures as aircrafts, bridges and nuclear reactors were developed into the direction of Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation (QNDE) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and ultrasonic was now significant to this process.
QNDE and SHM could provide real-time and online monitoring information and could take remedial measures in time. For crack formation, growth detection, size detection scheduling and such progress, Prof. Achenbach introduced the concept of POD and the technology process from crack detection to Quantitative evaluation, and later to prognostic of damage evaluation. Finally, he took the aircraft 787 as example and pointed out that the improvement of the technology of Non-Destructive Evaluation and Inspection would bring great benefits to aviation industry.
More Information about Prof. Achenbach:
Prof. Achenbach graduated from Technische Hogesschool in Deft in Holland in 1959 and received his Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 1962. He joined Northwestern in 1963 and is a preeminent researcher in solid mechanics and quantitative non-destructive evaluation.
Achenbach is founder of Northwestern's Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention, a state-of-art laboratory for quality control in structural mechanics, with profound impact on the aircraft industry, particularly the monitoring of aging aircraft. He has made major contributions in the field of propagation of mechanical disturbances in solids.
He has achieved important results in quantitative non-destructive evaluation of materials, damage mechanisms in composites, and vibrations of complex structures. He has developed methods for flaw detection and characterization by ultrasonic scattering methods. Achenbach's work has been both analytical and experimental. He also has achieved valuable results on earthquake mechanisms, on the mechanical behavior of composite materials under dynamic loading conditions, and on the vibrations of solid propellant rockets.
Achenbach was awarded the 2003 National Medal of Technology and the 2005 National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honors for innovation in technology and science. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1982, a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1992 and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1994. In 1999 he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences. He is also an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a fellow of ASME, ASA, SES, AMA and AAAS. His awards include the Timoshenko Medal and the William Prager Medal.
Director WANG Xiaomin delivered a welcome speech.
Prof. Jan. D. Achenbach
