Staff: Martine Wevers (coordinator) Walter Bogaerts The activities of this group address the "long-term" material behaviour. The corrosion behaviour of materials as well as the damage development during mechanical or thermal loading is studied. The modelling of this behaviour is subject of the fundamental approach. To monitor the damage development in materials, a number of non-destructive and advanced monitoring techniques are used: acoustic emission, real-time microfocus radiography, electrochemical noise measurements, ultrasound, optical fibre sensors etc. New techniques to evaluate and characterise the extent of damage are also being developed or optimised (high resolution X-ray computer tomography, the acousto-optic technique, optical fibres as smart materials...). Besides polymers, ceramics and metals, research is also dealing with advanced materials such as particulate or fibre reinforced composites and cellular materials. A special effort is devoted to the development of advanced information systems and artificial intelligence tools for materials performance (i.e. corrosion and corrosion protection methods) and failure risk assessment Research topics: Microstructural damage in materials. From phenomenology via analysis towards modelling of the damage. Experimental methods (mechanical or thermal fatigue, impact, …) Non-destructive techniques to monitor the damage (acoustic emission, stiffness reduction measurements and transverse strain monitoring, ultrasonic techniques and embedded optical fibres) Modelling of residual properties, lifetime predictions and damage repair with SMA-wires. Development of smart materials . Listening to the sound of materials. Development of tools to assess the acoustic emission activity of materials on a quantitative basis and Modal Acoustic Emission. To make correlations with the material properties To evaluate non-destructively the (damage) behaviour of materials and processes The internal structure of materials. Microfocus computer tomography to identify and quantify internal damage and internal structures and to evaluate the production processes of advanced materials. Inspection techniques for online monitoring. Development of new inspection techniques: The acousto-optic technique for layered structures and surface characterisation. Embedded optical fibres for damage monitoring. Non linear acoustic techniques for cure monitoring of concrete. Machine Learning for Signal Processing Biomedical research. Our µCT equipment is a useful tool for many Biomedical research projects, also ultrasonic techniques are used for Biomedical research projects. A special project handles the optimisation of an extracorporal lithotriptor. Recent publications Projects Specific equipment and expertise Microfocus Computer Tomography : Skyscan system Microfocus Computer Tomography : AEA Tomohawk system Radiography Ultrasonic C-scan (high frequency) Acoustic-Optic technique Acoustic emission systems Links Take a look at the NDT.net website