Data Fusion, Integration and Advances of Non-destructive Testing Methods in Engineering and Geosciences

Dear Colleagues,

Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods have been increasingly used over the last decades in a wide range of engineering and geosciences applications. The potential of many optical, acoustic, electric and electromagnetic NDT methods for stand-alone use has been widely investigated, and their use has become established in many fields of application. In addition to this, equipment reliability has tremendously grown and benefitted from new theoretical developments, technological advances in both hardware and software resources, as well as from the progress achieved in surveying, data processing and interpretation. These achievements have eventually allowed outstanding data quality and accuracy.

Nevertheless, comprehensive site investigations may require multiple expertise and equipment and involve complex and time-consuming methods and resources. To this effect, the integration between data outputs and different physical quantities, scale domains and resolutions is gaining momentum nowadays. In more detail, it is envisaged that data fusion, integration and correlation between different NDT methods and theories are to be further investigated in the near future with enormous development opportunities.

Within this framework, our intention is to collect contributions from state-of-the-art NDT methods and numerical and theoretical developments. The emphasis will be on promoting the integration of existing equipment and the development of new algorithms, surveying techniques, methods and prototypes for effective monitoring and assessment of survey sites. Non-destructive testing techniques of interest are related but not limited to the application of acoustic emission (AE) testing, electromagnetic testing (ET), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), geoelectric methods (GM), laser testing methods (LM), magnetic flux leakage (MFL), microwave testing, magnetic particle testing (MT), neutron radiographic testing (NR), radiographic testing (RT), thermal/infrared testing (IRT), ultrasonic testing (UT), seismic methods (SM), vibration analysis (VA), visual and optical testing (VT/OT).

This Special Issue will include, but not be limited to, the following set of topics:

• advanced data fusion;
• advanced interpretation methods;
• design and development of new surveying equipment and prototypes;
• assessment and monitoring methods for engineering and geoscience investigations;
• assessment and monitoring protocols and procedures for engineering and geoscience investigations;
• comprehensive and inclusive information data systems for the monitoring and assessment of survey sites;
• numerical simulation and modelling of data outputs with different physical quantities, scale domains and resolutions;
• advances in NDT methods, numerical developments and applications in engineering and geosciences (stand-alone use of existing and state-of-the-art NDTs).

Prof. Andrea Benedetto
Dr. Ilaria Catapano
Prof. Amir M. Alani
Dr. Francesco Soldovieri
Dr. Fabio Tosti
Guest Editors

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