The application of case-based reasoning to defect interpretation in nondestructive testing

Since the 1920s, nondestructive testing (NDT) has developed from a laboratory curiosity to an indispensable tool of production. The use of NDT testing techniques results in data, which have to be analyzed in order to determine if they contain any indications of defects in the inspected objects. This analysis is often quite complex. In the past, research has been done on various methods of automating interpretation of NDT data. This article presents how the case-based reasoning methodology can be used to tackle the problem of NDT data interpretation. A CBR system for electronic shearing speckle pattern interferometry (ESSPI) is developed by suitability of CBR for ESSPI data interpretation.