ASNT Newsroom

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) announces Bernhard R. Tittmann, PhD, as the recipient of the Lester/Mehl Honor Lecture. Tittmann delivered his lecture "A Survey of Contributions to the Development of Instrumentations and Techniques for Material Characterization, Nondestructive testing, and Structural Health Monitoring” at ASNT 2021: The Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Lester/Mehl Honor Lecture is established in memory of the outstanding contributions to ASNT and the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry by Horace H. Lester, PhD, and Robert F. Mehl, PhD. Lester wrote numerous published articles, fostered techniques, and did seminal work in ASNT committees. Mehl was the first person to use radium for gamma radiography. The purpose of the Honor Lecture is to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science of NDT. Such contributions may be made in the area of research, applications technology, management, education, equipment development, or other related areas.

Tittmann is the Schell Professor Emeritus and director of the Engineering Nanostructure Characterization Center at the Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics. He received his BS in physics and mathematics from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and his PhD in solid state physics from the University of California in Los Angeles. He also served on the technical staff in the Materials Mechanics and Physical Electronics Groups at the Science Center of Rockwell International (formerly North American Aviation), before serving as manager of materials characterization from 1979 to 1989. He was the Howard Hughes Fellow in the microwave antenna department of the Hughes Research Lab in Culver City, California, from 1957 to 1962.

Tittmann has been a member of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing since 1980. He is the 2019 recipient of the ASNT Research Recognition for Sustained Excellence and a Fellow of the American Society for Metals (ASM) International, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE). In his career, he has graduated 11 PhD students and 25 MS students, been awarded seven patents and three patent disclosures, and has authored or co-authored more than 480 publications.

About ASNT

Serving more than 22 000 members and certificate holders worldwide, ASNT, based in Columbus, Ohio, is the largest technical society for NDT professionals. ASNT certification and standards programs, publications, conferences, education, membership, and professional development programs are the foundation for expanding awareness of advancements in NDT. Governed by a volunteer group of officers and directors, ASNT is organized by councils representing interests relating to certification, engineering, research, education, and section operations.

(Columbus, OH) -- The recent collapse of a bridge in Pittsburgh illustrates the wisdom of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) which provides $1.2 trillion for improvements in America’s infrastructure. Major improvements to bridges, roads and mechanical systems are clearly needed.

Yet the new legislation continues the federal government practice of affording states wide latitude in how they prioritize projects. Too often, this results in an increased emphasis on new high-profile projects while maintenance of what is already in place is minimized.

If this is going to be the case, then even before new projects are undertaken, a significant commitment to enhanced testing and structural evaluation must be mounted to avoid failures similar to what occurred in Pittsburgh. New construction requires a great deal of time. Meanwhile, older structures remain in service perpetuating ongoing risks in the absence of thorough, sophisticated, yet readily available testing and evaluation.

A class of technologies referred to as Nondestructive Testing (NDT) provides an immediate option for structural assessment. NDT is a process of inspecting, testing, or evaluating materials, components, or assemblies – such as bridges - for discontinuities, or differences in characteristics without destroying the serviceability of the part or system. In other words, when NDT testing is performed, a clear and unambiguous assessment of the integrity of a structure is obtained.

It is unknown if the Pittsburgh bridge was evaluated using visual inspection, which is all that is required by law, but its failure demonstrates the need for similar structures to be evaluated using more advanced methods such as NDT. Additionally, certification using the type of definitive documentation extensively required in NDT protocols, are severely lacking in the in-service bridge inspection industry’s specifications and standards.

To better understand and clearly document the structural integrity of America’s bridges, a more urgent commitment to the application of nondestructive testing is required.

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) stands ready to assist government officials and others who will be assessing future preventative measures in their efforts to ensure similar failures can be avoided.

About ASNT

Serving more than 22 000 members and certificate holders worldwide, ASNT, based in Columbus, Ohio, is the largest technical society for NDT professionals. ASNT certification and standards programs, publications, conferences, education, membership, and professional development programs are the foundation for expanding awareness of advancements in NDT. Governed by a volunteer group of officers and directors, ASNT is organized by councils representing interests relating to certification, engineering, research, education, and section operations.

For questions about this statement, email ASNT Marketing and Communication Director Garra Liming at gliming@asnt.org.