1

Introduction

Science is nothing but trained and organised common sense

T.H. Huxley, 1878

1.1 Introduction
In order to improve manufacturing quality and ensure public safety, components and
structures are regularly inspected for defects or faults which may reduce their structural
integrity. Among the methods of testing developed for maintenance and inspection
purposes, non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques present the advantages of leaving the
components undamaged after inspection. Such techniques find applications in the
aerospace,1'2 transport,3'4 nuclear,5'6 food7 and offshore industries.8'9 Most NDT methods
can now be automated and computer controlled in order to facilitate signal interpreta-
tion.10'11 Despite these improvements, non-destructive examinations (NDE) are usually
performed by a qualified NDT inspector using NDT techniques which are applied on an
individual basis. Scientific measurements based on a single sensor can provide only limited
information about the environment in which it operates. Because each NDT method
presents different advantages and limitations, the use of more than one method is usually
required to inspect a material fully. For example, ultrasonic testing helps in the detection
of internal defects while eddy current examination is more appropriately applied in the
detection of surface breaking defects. However, information from different NDT systems
can be conflicting, incomplete or vague if looked at as discrete data. The concept of data
fusion can be used to combine information from multiple NDT systems and help in
decision making to reduce human error interpretation.
Data fusion can be defined as the synergistic use of information from multiple sources in
order to assist in the overall understanding of a phenomenon. Multisensor data integration
and fusion have gained popularity in military and robotics applications and more recently in
non-destructive testing; data fusion applied to NDT was first introduced in 199312 and
research interests are rapidly increasing throughout Europe.13"15 During the last decade,
although considerable research effort has gone into the application of data fusion to
robotics,16'17 imaging techniques18 and target tracking,19'20 relatively little use has been
made of the concept in NDT. Thus the objective of this text is to present recent research
advances of interest to the NDT community by taking the existing base of published
knowledge and adapting and extending this into a model which can be used to enhance the
value and cost-effectiveness of non-destructive methods of testing, analysis and evaluation.
 The development of a data fusion process to combine information from multiple non-
destructive testing sensors in order to provide a more complete picture and a more accurate
assessment of structural integrity than is currently possible with a single NDT method is
described in this book. A review of the existing multisensor data integration and fusion
models, methods and applications is discussed in chapter 2, to help determine and
understand the data fusion processes to be used in the implementation phase. The actual
NDT techniques available, their advantages and limitations, are described in the third
chapter, while chapter 4 presents an introduction to scientific visualisation and identifies
the usefulness of visualisation methods to present NDT data efficiently. NDT data fusion,
implemented through two different approaches, is analysed in chapters 5 and 6; first, a
Bayesian statistical approach was used to make inference and test binary hypothesis from
information collected from multiple eddy current sensors used to inspect composite
materials. This approach demonstrated the potential of Bayesian theory, and visualisation
enabled data to be presented in a colour-coded visual format. In addition, the efficiency of
different NDT techniques used in the inspection of composite materials was analysed using
statistical theories which are described in this book. The second data fusion approach
concerned the inspection of welds. The procedures carried out can be of direct relevance to
the nuclear and offshore industries which are currently inspecting welds using more than
one NDT method. A Bayesian statistical inference approach and the Dempster-Shafer
theory of evidence were used to combine information from (i) multiple NDT sensors of a
similar type but from different instruments, and (ii) different NDT sensors. A study was
made of the performance and efficiency of each approach to combine data effectively and
to provide the user with valuable results, and the most appropriate approach for NDT data
fusion was identified.
This book concludes with personal views regarding the future of NDT data fusion, its
implications in industry and how it can be developed further.

1.2 In brief
Different probability approaches to NDT data fusion were studied and their efficiency in
combining information was assessed using statistical theories such as probability of
detection21 and receiver operating characteristic curves.22 The NDT data fusion process
implemented presents results in the form of probability associated with a measurement
which is used to make inference.23
Because analogue signals on cathode ray tubes are difficult to analyse, a data
visualisation approach was adopted to facilitate signal interpretation and provide the user
with qualitative and quantitative information about defects. This information is very useful
to the structural engineer who needs to advise on possible levels of failure of a component.
Visualisation of NDT data and fusion of information at pixel level were also performed, as
described in this .book.

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