FAST NDE Laboratory

FHWA Advanced Sensing 

Technology Nondestructive 

Evaluation

U.S Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

NDE Web Manual

The Federal Highway Administration’s 

(FHWA) NDE Laboratory has developed an 

NDE Web Manual, a web tool for assisting 

bridge practitioners with the selection of NDE 

technologies for the condition assessment of 

bridge decks and superstructures. This manual 

presents a comprehensive selection on and 

descriptions of NDE technologies to fill a gap 

between the practitioners dealing with bridge 

performance challenges on a day-to-day basis 

and the researchers developing and refining 

NDE technologies. This version of the NDE 

Web Manual presents current, unbiased, and 

reliable information about NDE technologies 

for concrete and steel bridge members, 

including the application, description, physical 

principle, data acquisition, data processing, data 

interpretation, advantages, and limitations of 

each NDE technology. To access to the NDE 

Web Manual, visit https://bit.ly/3dYgy5X

NDE Virtual Lab

The NDE Web Manual includes an interactive 

environment that allows users with different 

backgrounds to explore NDE and Structural 

Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies. These 

real case studies expose users to scenarios 

requiring the selection and deployment of 

various NDE and SHM applications.

Hoda Azari, Ph.D.

NDE Program and Laboratory Manager

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

Federal Highway Administration 

U.S. Department of Transportation

6300 Georgetown Pike

McLean, VA 22101

United States

hoda.azari@dot.gov

Phone: 202-493-3064

FHWA NDE: http://bit.ly/2vup7F9

Contact Us

*Source: FHWA (all images)

FHWA-HRT-20-054

HRDI-20/06-20(200)E

Our Mission

At the FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center’s NDE Laboratory, our 

mission is to conduct state-of-the-art 

research, development, and implementation 

of nondestructive testing systems and 

technologies to improve the Nation’s highway 

infrastructure assets. Since its establishment 

in 1998, the NDE Laboratory has been used as 

a resource for the FHWA, State Departments of 

Transportation (DOTs), industry, and academia.
What is NDE?

NDE is a means of analyzing and assessing 

the condition of various structural components 

of highway infrastructure assets—pavement, 

bridges, and tunnels—without impairing their 

future usefulness.

Laboratory Activities

The NDE Laboratory performs research, 

development, improvement, and 

implementation of NDE systems and 

technologies to assist infrastructure owners 

with condition assessment of their assets. 

This work includes condition assessment of 

in-service tunnels, pavements, and bridges, 

as well as providing technical assistance and 

forensic investigations in examining the nature 

and causes of anomalies or failures of highway 

infrastructure assets.

About the 

FAST NDE Lab

The FAST Lab is a world-class NDE Laboratory for 

the development and testing of NDE technologies. 

The NDE Laboratory is well supplied with stateof-the-art NDE equipment to address the growing 

needs of FHWA and other stakeholders. The facility 

includes new NDE equipment for both concrete and 

steel, robotic platforms for data acquisition, and 

advanced off the shelf equipment. The Laboratory 

also has several custom built prototype advanced 

NDE systems.

Laboratory Capabilities

• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Testing

• Infrared Thermography Testing

• Impact Echo Testing

• Surface Wave Testing

• Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)

Systems

• Numerical Simulation

• Automated Data Collection, Analysis,

Interpretation, Visualization, and Fusion

• Conventional/Phased Array/Full Matrix

Captures Ultrasonic Testing

• Conventional/Advanced Eddy Current

Testing

• Acoustic Emission

• Noncontact and Remote Sensing

Laboratory Specimens

An extensive collection of concrete/steel 

specimens from decommissioned bridges and 

commercial test equipment can be seen at the 

NDE Laboratory.