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Tsuchin Philip Chu

Tsuchin Philip Chu, Professor, Director of the COE Ph.D. Program

Ph.D. University of South Carolina, 1982

Dr. Tsuchin “Philip” Chu is a senior Professor in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Materials Engineering. Dr. Chu has conducted research for over 30 years in areas such as non-destructive evaluation (NDE), biomedical engineering, experimental mechanics, computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE), finite element analysis (FEA), sensors and instrumentation. He is a pioneer in the area of digital image correlation (DIC) and at the cutting edge of research in NDE and biomechanics. He was a faculty member of Polytechnic University in New York before he joined SIUC in 1990 He has more than 80 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference proceedings and over $2 M in grants from NASA, Boeing, US Air Force, IBM, Illinois Clean Coal Institute, etc. Dr. Chu advised more than 40 graduate students. 

He developed the Intelligent Measurement and Evaluation Lab (IMEL) which houses state-of-the-art equipment including DIC system, infrared (IR) thermography system, as well as immersion, contact, and air-coupled ultrasonic C-scan systems. Dr. Chu has participated in many summer research programs (NASA and the US Air Force) as a Research Fellow. He is currently serving on the ASNT (American Society of Nondestructive Testing) Board of Directors and ASNT St. Louis Section Board of Directors. Dr. Chu is a co-founder of Clipius Technologies, a think-tank company produces intellectual property in the areas of defense, aerospace and biomedical devices.

SIU Professor Tsuchin Phillip Chu
Office: ENGR E 27A
Phone: 618-453-7011
Fax: 618-453-7658
tchu@siu.edu
Laboratory Webpage

Areas of Specialization and Interest

  • Non-destructive evaluation: Thermography, image correlation, ultrasonics
  • Biomechanics: testing and measurements of bone allograft and soft tissue of diabetic foot, spinal implants
  • Fracture mechanics: short crack growth and damage zone evaluation on particulate composites
  • Experimental mechanics: digital image correlation and laser speckle interferometry
  • Composite materials: finite element analysis, impact damage and repair, microcracking, porosity
  • Composite structure for advanced spacecraft systems
  • Image analysis and damage assessment of materials
  • MEMS and Nano-technology: silicon micro-machined vibratory gyroscope, strain measurement of thin film with nano-scale accuracy
  • CAD/CAM: computer-aided modular fixture design, machine vision

Current Research

DOD-Air Force STTR, “Compression Imagining Phase Array Ultrasound Interrogator (CIPHOR),” Phase-I, November 1, 2014 – Present.

Education

  • Ph.D.    Mechanical Engineering (1982), University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
  • M.S.     Mechanical Engineering (1980), Auburn University, Auburn, AL.
  • B.S.E.   Mechanical Engineering (1974), National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Awards

  • ASNT Mentoring Award, 2014
  • Juh-Wah Chen Outstanding Faculty Award, 2014
  • Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award, 2014
  • ASNT Faculty Grant Award, 2012
  • ASNT Fellowship Grant, 2010      
  • Pride @ Boeing Award, 2007

Related News

  • Dr. Chu nominated for council director in ASNT

Selected Publications

  • Poudel, A., Mitchell, K., Chu, T., Neidigk, S., and Jacques, C., “Non-Destructive Evaluation of Composite Repairs by Using Infrared Thermography,” Journal of Composite Materials. (accepted for publication)
  • Li, S., Poudel, A., and Chu, T. P., “Ultrasonic Defect Mapping Using Signal Correlation for NDE,” RNDE, Volume 26. Issue 3, 2015, DOI: 10.1080/09349847.2014.967900.
  • Poudel, A., Strycek, J., and Chu, T.P., "Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Testing of Carbon/Carbon Composite Aircraft Brake Disks," Materials Evaluation, Vol. 71, No. 8, pp. 987-994, 2013.
  • Li, S., Poudel, A., and Chi, T.P., "Fuzzy Logic Based Delamination Detection in CFRP Panels," Informatica, (Accepted for Publication).
  • Li, S. and Chu, T.P., "Super-Resolution Image Reconstruction for Ultrasonic NDE," IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control (Review in progress).
  • Poudel, A. and Chu, T.P., "Intelligent NDE Expert System for Aircraft Carbon/Carbon Composite Brakes Using Infrared Thermography and Air-Coupled Ultrasound," Materials Evaluation, Vol. 70, No. 10, pp.1219-1229, October 2012.
  • Chu, T.P., Don, J., Pan, Y.C., and Poudel, A., "Defect Characterization in Commercial Carbon-Carbon Composites," World Journal of Engineering, Vol. 9" No. 6, pp., 2012.
  • C.B. Liu, M.J. Huang, Y.C. Pan, D. Shedlock, and T.P. Chu, "Detection of Discontinuities in Carbon-Carbon Composites using X-ray Compton Backscatter Radiography: Radiography by Selective Detection," Materials Evaluation, Vol. 70, No. 3, pp. 367-377, March 2012.
  • J. Don and T.P. Chu, "Processing of Carbon-Carbon Composites for Aircraft Brake Applications," World Journal of Engineering, pp. 283-284, September 2011.
  • T.C. Chu, J. Don, Y.C. Pan, and A. Poudel, "Non-Destructive Evaluation of Carbon-Carbon Composites Using Infrared Thermography," World Journal of Engineering, September 2011.
  • Y.P. Pan, T.C." Chu, and P. Filip, "Intelligent Nondestructive Testing Expert System for Carbon-Carbon Composites Using Infrared Thermography," Materials Evaluation, Vol. 69, No. 7, pp. 834-842, July 2011.