Category: News and Announcements

CNDE Director, Dr. Reza Zoughi is the recipient of the 2023 American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Lester/Mehl Honor Lecture.  The purpose of the Lester/Mehl Honor Lecture is “to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science of nondestructive testing. Such contributions may be made in the area of research, applications technology, management, education, equipment development, or other related areas. Nominees must have made outstanding contributions to the science of NDT. Such contributions may be in the area of research, applications, technology, management, education, equipment development, or other related areas.”

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Farzaneh Ahmadi, CNDE Graduate Research Assistant, will be presenting:

Millimeter-Wave Near-Field Evaluations of Polylactic Acid Filament Used in Polymer-Based Additive Manufacturing

as part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) – Nondestructive Characterization Institute (NCI) Seminar Series

August 17, 2023

1:00 pm (CST) 

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ABSTRACT: Polymer-based additive manufacturing (AM) has found extensive application in various industries, including medical and aerospace, owing to its rapid and cost-effective process. Nevertheless, real-time monitoring of the printed parts continues to face challenges and issues. This study compares the effectiveness of three near-field millimeter wave probes – open-ended rectangular waveguide (OERW), dielectric-loaded waveguide (DLW), and extended dielectric-loaded waveguide (EDLW) – in detecting small voids and moisture absorption in polylactic acid (PLA) filaments commonly used in polymeric AM. Dielectric inserts serve as a field concentration tool, potentially improving the spatial resolution of the probes. Numerical electromagnetic simulations were performed at Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) and V-band (50-75 GHz) using CST Studio Suite® to detect small hemispherical voids and moisture absorption in the feedstock, respectively, followed by experimental validation. The results of the study indicated that, at V-band (50-75 GHz), the spatial resolution of the standard OERW probe was deemed sufficient for detecting small surface voids in stock PLA filaments. In terms of moisture detection, the EDLW probe at Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz), exhibited the highest sensitivity, when loaded with a material possessing a dielectric constant similar to that of the inspected filament.

BIO: Farzaneh Ahmadi received her B.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Shahid Rajaee University (Tehran, Iran) in 2010 and her M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Tarbiat Modares University (Tehran, Iran) in 2012. She is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE) at Iowa State University (ISU). Her research at the ISU Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE) involves developing In-line nondestructive evaluation methods for 3D printed structures, especially polymers and metals. She is a recipient of CNDE R. B. Thompson Fellowship, the 2023 American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Student Travel Grant Award, and the 2022 ASNT Best Student Paper Award (2nd place).

Congratulations Pete Collins (CNDE, Materials Science and Engineering), Maria Jose Quintana (Materials Science and Engineering), and Yuan Ji!  Their paper, “A Perspective Of The Needs And Opportunities For Coupling Materials Science And Nondestructive Evaluation For Metals-Based Additive Manufacturing” was selected by ASNT as the 2023 Outstanding Paper. 

This paper attempts to provide a bridge between two traditionally separated technical communities, namely the NDE and AM communities.  By providing a brief review of the state-of-the-art of relevant literature, it serves to give a foundation to understand what materials details need to be understood, what information methods may provide, and the possible research pathways going forward.

Name: Trent Moritz

Research areas of interest: Microwave and millimeter wave nondestructive testing and material characterization.

Anticipated graduation date: Spring 2026

Who or what inspired you to pursue studies in NDE? While taking Electromagnetics with Dr. Mani Mina, he told me about CNDE (which up to that point, I did not know existed) and that they were looking for undergraduate students to work in their labs.  After hearing a brief description of what they do, I found it interesting and asked Dr. Reza Zoughi if they were still looking for students.  Fortunately they were and very quickly after joining as an undergraduate research assistant in their labs, I found that I really enjoyed NDE and all the pieces that go into it. While there are many things along the way that led to me pursuing a PhD in NDE, it was mainly the people (Dr. Mina and everyone I have worked with at CNDE) that got me interested in the field and made me want to stick around.

One thing I have learned that surprised me: The biggest thing that surprised me is how little I knew in terms of practical knowledge in NDE coming out of my undergrad. I knew there was going to be somewhat of a learning curve, but I thought with my theory from courses I would be able to quickly figure things out. This was not the case. I have enjoyed the process of learning how to perform NDE and it is something I am still doing to this day.

Future career plans:  I would like to stay in the NDE field, but I am not sure where that will be.

Trent is the first CNDE-GRA recipient and also the recipient of the O.D. & O.U. Trapp Graduate Fellowship in CNDE.

Reza Zoughi, CNDE Director, Kirby Gray (Battelle) Chair in Engineering, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been recognized as one of IEEE Xplore’s Featured Authors.

Featured abstract entitled: “Wideband Microwave Camera for Real-Time 3-D Imaging”.