Bruce Drinkwater

Professor of Ultrasonics · University of Bristol · company speakers →

In 1996, after obtaining B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from Imperial College, London, UK, he joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Bristol, UK, where he has remained. He was promoted to Professor of Ultrasonics in 2007 and now leads the Ultrasonics and NDT research group at Bristol. He has been involved in a diverse range of engineering topics including NDT&E, condition monitoring as well as ultrasonic levitation, tractor beams and haptics. He has worked on ultrasonic array imaging in 2000 and this is a common theme that now links together many of his research interests. Over the last 10 years he has been part of the UK Research Centre in NDE, where he has collaborated closely with industry to progress his research ideas into industrial reality. As a result, the ultrasonic imaging methods and algorithms he helped develop are now in widespread use by industry where they have improved the safety of aircraft, power stations and other complex engineering structures. His work has contributed to the detection of smaller defects than were previously possible and significantly improved defect sizing through the development of algorithms known as Full Matrix Capture (FMC) and the Total Focusing Method (TFM). This work has not only improved safety but has also opened up a new area of research and development. He has been involved in significant commercial impact, achieved through instrument sales, cost savings from reduced inspection time and reduced failure rate of components. For example, he commercialised an array-wheel device which dramatically reduced composite aircraft component inspection times. He actively engages with schools and the general public about engineering, acoustics and NDT through public talks and articles as well as developing hands-on exhibits.

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