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John Christian Duke, Jr.

Professor Emeritus

Research Areas: Damage Science and Mechanics

Research Interests:
John Duke recognizes that in order to assure the safety and reliability of critical assets understanding the science of how systems and structures deteriorate and how this deterioration damages these assets and affects their mechanical performance is critical. His work is in the damage science and mechanics arena.

Damage Science and Mechanics works within the multiple disciplines needed to achieve this goal.  Sustainable system planning and design, life-extension, system prognostics, system and structural health monitoring are areas where this work finds application.

Focus Areas Include:

  • Detecting & tracking damage
  • Novel and durable sensors
  • Novel advanced signal analyses
  • Detecting the onset of damage localization
  • Nondestructive evaluation infrastructure repair and smart replacement
  • Characterization of service induced damage of composite materials
  • Determining end-of-functional service life

Technical Challenges of Concern:

  • Lack of deterioration evolution databases due in part to the traditional design paradigm
  • Material variability
  • Lack of cost-benefits of preservation versus repair versus rehabilitation versus replacement

Detection and tracking of deterioration and damage development

  • Damage tolerant design challenges
  • Safe-life and Fail- safe design challenges
  • Additive manufacturing challenges
  • Identification of damage precursors

Educational Development Interests
John Duke has championed the development of educational programs in the area of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) engineering. He actively promotes the inclusion of NDE Engineering Subject Matter Experts in the Planning and Design Groups for structures and systems where structural integrity is critical.  Developing a Graduate Engineering Certificate- NDE Engineering- Achieving and Sustaining Structural Integrity.

  • 1978: Ph.D., Mechanics and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins
  • 1976: M.E.S., Mechanics and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins
  • 1973: B.S.E., Mechanics and Materials Science, Johns Hopkins
  • 2020 Selected Recipient: American Society for Nondestructive Testing Robert C. McMaster Gold Medal
  • 2020 Selected Recipient: American Society for Nondestructive Testing Mentoring Award
  • 2019 Appointed Member, National Academy of Science Transportation Research Board Committee AHD35 Bridge Management
  • 2019 Appointed Member, National Academy of Science Transportation Research Board Committee AFF40 Field Testing & Nondestructive Evaluation of Transportation Structures
  • 2018 Selected Recipient: American Society for Nondestructive Testing Recognition Research Sustained Excellence
  • 2018 Selected Recipient: American Society for Nondestructive Testing William Via Lifetime Recognition
  • 2018 Elected Director-at-large Board of Directors of American Society for Nondestructive Testing, 3-year term
  • 2015-2023 Appointed Chair, National Academy of Science Transportation Research Board Subcommittee AHD30(3) Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) {Committee sunset after fulfilling objectives in 2023]
  • 2007-2022 Editor-in-chief Research in Nondestructive Evaluation (Editor-in-chief Emeritus)
  • 2005 Appointed External Member, NASA NESC NDE Technical Discipline Team, as a Senior Subject Matter Expert (continuing)
  • 2005 Elected ASME Fellow, American Society for Mechanical Engineers
  • 1988 Elected ASNT Fellow, American Society for Nondestructive Testing
  • 1985 Inaugural Chair ASME NDE Engineering Technical Division
  • John C Duke Jr, “A Damage Science Based Monitoring Approach for Detecting End-of-Functional Service Life,” Proceedings 15th Int’l Symposium for Nondestructive Characterization of Materials, Portoroz, 2019.
  • Ryan J. Lane, Arnab Gupta, J.C. Duke, “Wave Propagation in Damaged Components,” ASNT Spring 2018 Research Symposium Proceedings, 2018.
  • J.C. Duke, M.A. McCord, R.J. Lane, “SHM POD and POT,” ASNT Spring 2018 Research Symposium Proceedings, 2018.
  • John C Duke Jr, “Cataloging Flaws Additive Manufactured Components is a Red Herring,” Materials Evaluation, 76(12), pp.1603-1608, (2018).
  • Douglas A. Harold; J.C. Duke; Lindsay N. Harold, “The Effects of Adhesive Geometry and Type on Strain Transfer for Optical Fiber Strain Sensing,” Materials Evaluation 70(12), pp. 1411-1419, (2012).
  • Arnab Gupta, Duke, John, “Characterizing Damage Development in Cross-Ply Laminates Using Simulated Acoustic Emission.” Materials Evaluation, 70(2), 461-469, (2012).
  • G. G. Bordonaro, M. R. Hajj, A. H. Nayfeh,  J. C. Duke, “Parameters sensitivities to damage progression,” Structural Control and Health Monitoring, Vol. 18, No. 5 pp. 481-491, August 2011.