Non-Destructive evaluation using ultrasonic technique and distributed Blackboard System

Abstract

This is a presentation showing how an intelligence software system could be employed to detect hidden cracks in a flat ferritic steel plates using the non-destructive evaulation technique. DARBS, a distributed blackboad system, had been successfully applied to the interpretation of ultrsound (B-scan) images from weld defects in flat ferritic steel plates. Based around the client/server model, DARBS comprises a centralised database server, i.e. the blackboard, and a number of knowledge source clients. As the clients are separate processes, possibly on separate networked computers, they can contribute to the solution of a problem whenever they have a contribution to make. DARBS therefore achieves the well-established but elusive ideal of opportunism. It behaves as a distributed agent-based system, with the proviso that all communication is via the blackboard