In the latest episode of Chat NDT with ASNT, podcast host Debbie Segor, CAE, spoke with Saptarshi Mukherjee, PhD, about electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation, particularly for additive manufacturing. Dr. Mukherjee is currently working as an Applied Electromagnetics Research Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His research interests include electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation methods in advanced manufacturing, computational geosciences, imaging and inverse problems, and high-power microwave devices.
In their conversation, Dr. Mukherjee discussed different applications of electromagnetic testing (ET), including research on future applications. Below are some examples of the surprising applications of ET discussed in the episode, whether currently in use or being developed in research:
- Dr. Mukherjee noted that electromagnetic testing has the ability to provide detailed information about a vast range of materials simply by using different frequencies. This makes it useful for applications from airport security to biomedical practices—and even for looking into the subsurface of Earth!
- Dr. Mukherjee also discussed the research being done on “metamaterials”—electromagnetically modified materials that can be engineered to exhibit unique electromagnetic properties. One example he provided is metamaterials that could theoretically be engineered to create a negative refractive index—one that could create an “invisibility cloak” to shield objects from view.
“If you can make a material so that you can guide the electromagnetic waves in a particular way, along a particular structure, then anything that you place inside that structure is not going to be visible because the electromagnetic waves, or the light rays, are not going to be interacting with that structure,” Dr. Mukherjee said. - One of the main topics discussed on the episode was the potential for ET in additive manufacturing. As Dr. Mukherjee noted, additive manufacturing is being used to create a wide range of objects, including more complicated and extremely small objects. As he notes, it’s not enough for NDT to inspect just the finished object, but to also be able to evaluate how the object was created. ET can be used in situ to monitor the structure of an object while it’s being printed, giving inspectors real-time feedback during the manufacture of the object itself.
To hear more about this exciting research, as well as Dr. Mukherjee’s background in NDT and current role as Chair of the Golden Gate Section of ASNT, listen to the episode below or search for Chat NDT with ASNT in your favorite podcast platform.
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Haley Cowans is Educational Materials Editor at ASNT, hcowans@asnt.org.
Debbie Segor, CAE, is Marketing and Communications Manager at ASNT, and the host of Chat NDT with ASNT. To be a guest on the podcast, contact desgor@asnt.org.
Saptarshi Mukherjee, PhD, is Applied Electromagnetics Research Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Learn more about electromagnetic testing from these ASNT books: