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Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Materials Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 5014

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Luís Miguel Pereira Durão

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, ISEP, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: composites; machining; damage onset and propagation; damage assessment; image processing; non-destructive testing; mechanical testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Nuno Calçada Loureiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Production Engineering, Instituto Superior de entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal
Interests: biodegradable composites; green composites; mechanical characterization; production technologies; damage assessment; non-destructive techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is the application of scientific principles of physics, chemistry, and mathematics for the development of adequate procedures and specific equipment that can be used to study a part, object, or complex structure, such as a car, airplane, or railway bridge, without causing any harm to the object under examination.

NDT is also used in many other industries, as well as in other non-industrial applications; for example, NDT makes sure that parts do not have defects that would cause customer unhappiness or ensure that they adhere to strict safety regulations (such as passengers in airports). Some of the equipment and procedures used in NDT can also be found in the medical field, such as X-rays in dental work or ultrasounds in echography.

Presently, there is no doubt about the importance of NDT, as it leads to considerable savings by not destroying parts, some of them expensive, gradually replacing still all-too-present destructive testing techniques. Today, there are many NDT techniques available and the field of quality control works to perfect these technologies year after year.

This Special Issue intends to act as a forum for the presentation of the latest developments in this field of research and development, as well as for the demonstration of practical application cases of NDT in all industrial areas that can help foster future developments in this interesting subject. The most recent breakthroughs in the development of equipment and instruments by NDT machine manufacturers will play an important role, demonstrating cutting-edge techniques and novel possibilities for its usage in new areas. Emerging technologies should not be disregarded, such as automation, which reduces the need for human operators; augmented reality (AR), which overlays digital information onto the real world; artificial intelligence (AI), which can process NDT data; or even nanotechnology, used for the detection of small defects or flaws, invisible to traditional methods.

As Editors of this 2nd Edition Special Issue, it is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript, whether in the form of a research article or a review article. Complete papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome. All submissions will be peer reviewed, and a first decision will be provided to authors approximately 14 days after submission. Once accepted, papers will be published in the journal and listed on the Special Issue webpage.

Prof. Dr. Luís Miguel Pereira Durão
Prof. Dr. Nuno Calçada Loureiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • NDT techniques
  • image processing
  • damage assessment
  • damage modelling
  • reliability
  • safety
  • mechanical strength
  • standardization

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 4691 KB  
Article
Material Nondestructive Investigations Reveal the Hidden Secrets of Two Saxon Quarter Thalers Issued in 1544—A Case Study
by Marzena Grochowska-Jasnos, Emanoil Pripon, Lucian Barbu Tudoran, Nicoleta Ignat, Gheorghe Borodi and Ioan Petean
Materials 2026, 19(7), 1325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19071325 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Saxony was ruled by two cousins in 1544: John Frederick I (Elector of Saxony) and his cousin Maurice (Duke of Saxony). Both rulers’ names appear on each side of the quarter thalers produced in this year. They were enemies involved in religious wars, [...] Read more.
Saxony was ruled by two cousins in 1544: John Frederick I (Elector of Saxony) and his cousin Maurice (Duke of Saxony). Both rulers’ names appear on each side of the quarter thalers produced in this year. They were enemies involved in religious wars, although they were both Protestants. Two types of quarter thalers from 1544 occur: a pierced random find from Transylvania (Romania) with four shields on the reverse, heavily worn, and another one with three shields on the obverse side, found in the Głogów Hoard (Poland), which is well preserved. Why did they issue two types in the same year? Was it a matter of silver title or other historical factors? Nondestructive investigation methods were used: XRD revealed the phases within the alloy and patina layer; SEM-EDS revealed the morphological aspects and their elemental compositions, which were correlated with XRF results. The results show that both coins have closer silver amounts, from 91 to 96 wt.%. The EDS results were in good agreement with the XRF results. Lead traces indicated a difference between them: the four-shielded coin is lead-free, while the three-shielded coin has a moderate amount of lead, about 0.5 wt.%. The archeological data evidence that the four-shielded coin issued in 1544 is rarer than the three-shielded one because it was issued during specific historical conditions. Black patina is formed by a mixture rich in copper oxides mixed with silver oxides and Ag2S. The presence of silver sulfide in the patina layer confirms that the pierced coin was in prolonged contact with the skin surface. Also, the finest traces of minerals embedded in the patina layer (e.g., quartz, kaolinite, and calcite) suggest that they were embedded in the patina via prolonged exposure to particulate matter. The mineral inclusions in the patina would have been more numerous if they were formed underground. Thus, the pierced four-shielded coin was probably worn as jewelry by nomads, while the three-shielded coin was most likely treasured in a well-preserved hoard. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition)
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21 pages, 3501 KB  
Article
Subsurface Fracture Mapping in Adhesive Interfaces Using Terahertz Spectroscopy
by Mahavir Singh, Sushrut Karmarkar, Marco Herbsommer, Seongmin Yoon and Vikas Tomar
Materials 2026, 19(2), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020388 - 18 Jan 2026
Viewed by 429
Abstract
Adhesive fracture in layered structures is governed by subsurface crack evolution that cannot be accessed using surface-based diagnostics. Methods such as digital image correlation and optical spectroscopy measure surface deformation but implicitly assume a straight and uniform crack front, an assumption that becomes [...] Read more.
Adhesive fracture in layered structures is governed by subsurface crack evolution that cannot be accessed using surface-based diagnostics. Methods such as digital image correlation and optical spectroscopy measure surface deformation but implicitly assume a straight and uniform crack front, an assumption that becomes invalid for interfacial fracture with wide crack openings and asymmetric propagation. In this work, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is combined with double-cantilever beam testing to directly map subsurface crack-front geometry in opaque adhesive joints. A strontium titanate-doped epoxy is used to enhance dielectric contrast. Multilayer refractive index extraction, pulse deconvolution, and diffusion-based image enhancement are employed to separate overlapping terahertz echoes and reconstruct two-dimensional delay maps of interfacial separation. The measured crack geometry is coupled with load–displacement data and augmented beam theory to compute spatially averaged stresses and energy release rates. The measurements resolve crack openings down to approximately 100 μm and reveal pronounced width-wise non-uniform crack advance and crack-front curvature during stable growth. These observations demonstrate that surface-based crack-length measurements can either underpredict or overpredict fracture toughness depending on the measurement location. Fracture toughness values derived from width-averaged subsurface crack fronts agree with J-integral estimates obtained from surface digital image correlation. Signal-to-noise limitations near the crack tip define the primary resolution limit. The results establish THz-TDS as a quantitative tool for subsurface fracture mechanics and provide a framework for physically representative toughness measurements in layered and bonded structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 10732 KB  
Article
Two-Dimensional Magnetic Orientation of Steel Fibers in Large Slab Elements Made of HPFRC Using an Industrial Robot
by Kristýna Carrera, Petr Konrád, Karel Künzel, Přemysl Kheml, Radoslav Sovják, Michal Mára, Jindřich Fornůsek and Petr Konvalinka
Materials 2026, 19(1), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19010125 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 686
Abstract
Steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) can exhibit markedly improved mechanical performance when the fibers are preferentially aligned along the principal tensile stress directions. One method of aligning steel fibers is using magnetic methods. However, most existing magnetic alignment techniques rely on solenoids and are [...] Read more.
Steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) can exhibit markedly improved mechanical performance when the fibers are preferentially aligned along the principal tensile stress directions. One method of aligning steel fibers is using magnetic methods. However, most existing magnetic alignment techniques rely on solenoids and are restricted to one-dimensional alignment and relatively small specimen sizes. This paper presents a novel planar magnetic orientation device capable of producing arbitrary two-dimensional fiber layouts and demonstrates its applicability from laboratory-scale proof-of-concept tests to large high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) structural elements. The concept is first verified on transparent ultrasound gel specimens, where image analysis confirms fiber orientation in the prescribed angles. The method is then applied to small prismatic HPFRC specimens (40 mm × 40 mm × 160 mm) with fiber contents of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, exposed to different magnetic field intensities (80 mT–140 mT). Flexural tests show increases in average flexural strength compared to non-oriented reference specimens, with 100 mT providing the most efficient alignment for the investigated mixture. A non-destructive electromagnetic method based on the measurement of the quality factor Q of a coil correlates well with flexural strength. Finally, the device is integrated with an industrial robot and used to orient fibers in large HPFRC slabs (1000 mm × 410 mm), achieving an average increase in flexural tensile strength of about 64% relative to non-oriented slabs. The results demonstrate that planar magnetic orientation is a promising approach for tailoring fiber layouts in SFRC structural elements and for enabling automated, programmable manufacturing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition)
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28 pages, 11508 KB  
Article
Non-Destructive Integrity Assessment of Austenitic Stainless-Steel Membranes via Magnetic Property Measurements
by Haeng Sung Heo, Jinheung Park, Jehyun You, Shin Hyung Rhee and Myoung-Gyu Lee
Materials 2025, 18(12), 2898; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18122898 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1166
Abstract
This study proposes a novel non-destructive methodology for assessing structural integrity in liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier cargo containment systems (CCSs), addressing limitations of conventional inspection techniques like visual inspection and vacuum box testing. The method leverages strain-induced martensitic transformation (SIMT) in austenitic [...] Read more.
This study proposes a novel non-destructive methodology for assessing structural integrity in liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier cargo containment systems (CCSs), addressing limitations of conventional inspection techniques like visual inspection and vacuum box testing. The method leverages strain-induced martensitic transformation (SIMT) in austenitic stainless steel (SUS304L), widely used in CCS membranes, quantifying magnetic permeability increase via a Feritscope to evaluate deformation history and damage. To analyze SUS304L SIMT behavior, uniaxial tensile (UT) and equi-biaxial tensile (EBT) tests were conducted, as these stress states predominate in CCS membranes. Microstructural evolution was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), allowing a quantitative assessment of the transformed martensite volume fraction versus plastic strain. Subsequently, Feritscope measurements under the same conditions were calibrated against the XRD-measured martensite volume fraction for accuracy. Based on testing, this study introduces three complementary Feritscope approaches for evaluating CCS health: outlier detection, quantitative damaged area analysis, and time-series analysis. The methodology integrates data-driven quantitative assessment with conventional qualitative inspection, enhancing safety and maintenance efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 2262 KB  
Article
Evaluation of NDT Methods for In Situ Documentation of Concrete for Reuse: Laboratory Studies
by Serkan Karatosun, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen and Lisbeth M. Ottosen
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2470; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112470 - 24 May 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1707
Abstract
Concrete production has significant environmental impacts due to extensive raw material use and high CO2 emissions. Reusing structural concrete elements can potentially reduce these environmental impacts by reducing the demand for new production. However, reliable and practical documentation of concrete properties is [...] Read more.
Concrete production has significant environmental impacts due to extensive raw material use and high CO2 emissions. Reusing structural concrete elements can potentially reduce these environmental impacts by reducing the demand for new production. However, reliable and practical documentation of concrete properties is needed for safe and scalable reuse. Although several non-destructive testing (NDT) methods show promise for in situ assessment of concrete properties, a clear gap remains in implementing them into a comprehensive approach for reuse documentation. This study investigates the potential of combining ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), rebound hammer (RH), and electrical resistivity (ER) methods for documenting concrete properties for reuse. Several parameters relevant to reuse scenarios, such as saturation level and aggregate type and size, were systematically evaluated to understand their impact on NDT documentation of concrete for reuse. NDT documentation of compressive strength and chloride migration coefficient was assessed on 120 cylindrical specimens. Fifteen concrete mixtures were used with three aggregate compositions and five water–cement ratios. The experimental results are discussed in the context of in situ documentation of structural elements in donor buildings to ensure the practical applicability of the findings. The findings show that these NDT methods can potentially document the properties of concrete reliably and practically, thereby addressing the lack of in situ documentation procedures needed to enable the safe and scalable reuse of structural elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Non-Destructive Testing of Materials and Parts: Techniques, Case Studies and Practical Applications—2nd Edition)
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