NDE engineering in the materials life cycle

The emergence ofnondestructive evaluation as afactor to be considered in the entire life cycle of materials, from design, through fabrication of components and structures, to in-service monitoring, is reviewed. Current directions in research and development and in practical application are discussed within the context ofNDE as an engineering function. Particular emphasis is directed towards reliability, requirements for in-process and health monitoring, and implementation for the inspection and analysis of composite materials, that offer a particularly challenging domain in which to demonstrate the performance of NDE techniques and procedures.