Home

Ultrasonics and Applied Mechanics Laboratory

July 2025

The Ultrasonics and Applied Mechanics Laboratory (UAML) research group at CSUN is conducting theoretical and experimental science in various fields that can benefit from ultrasound and related technology.

More about the research group

Avatar

Christoph Schaal

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

California State University, Northridge

Director

Dr. Christoph Schaal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and Director of the Ultrasonics and Applied Mechanics Laboratory (UAML). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and he was a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Los Angeles before joining CSUN. Dr. Schaal has over 15 years of experience in research and teaching. He has made significant contributions as an author or co-author of more than 60 journal and conference publications, spanning a range of topics including ultrasound, nondestructive evaluation, applied and experimental mechanics, and robotics. He currently also serves as Associate Editor of the Ultrasonics Journal and as Co-Chair of the annual SPIE Smart Structures & Nondestructive Evaluation Conference.

Interests

  • Wave propagation
  • Nondestructive evaluation
  • In-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing
  • Robotics and autonomy
  • Experimental mechanics
  • Composites
  • Medical ultrasound
  • Structural dynamics
  • Smart structures

Education

  • Postdoc in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

    University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

  • Dr.-Ing. (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering

    University of Stuttgart, Germany

  • Dipl.-Ing. (B.S. and M.S.) in Cybernetics and Systems Engineering

    University of Stuttgart, Germany

Projects

*

In-space nondestructive evaluation

On-ground testing of technology capable of performing NDE in space and development of in-space experiments.

Nondestructive evaluation experiments

Advancing the accuracy and efficiency of experimental methods for ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation.

Autonomous sensor robots

Conducting nondestructive evaluation using ultrasonic waves through the use of novel autonomous sensor robot systems.

Manufacturing and monitoring of composite structural components

Experimental, numerical and analytical investigations to achieve monitoring of (custom) composite structures.

Focused ultrasound for medical applications

Investigating the ultrasonic wave-scattering at bone-tissue interfaces using numerical and experimental methods.

Calculating energy loss of miniature resonators into plate substrates

Developing a novel approach to model the anchor loss of miniature resonators (inertial sensors).

Fuzzy Arithmetical Assessment of Wave Propagation Models for Multi-Wire Cables

Wave propagation model assessment through advanced fuzzy arithmetic.

Ultrasonic Monitoring of Overhead Power Lines and Stay Cables

Developed a fully automated damage detection method for mult-wire cables using guided waves.

Publications

(recent)

  • K. Davis, C. Jeong, and C. Schaal. Reinforcement learning for Lamb wave-based nondestructive evaluation of plates. Health monitoring of structural and biological systems XIX, 2025. doi: 10.1117/12.3051462
  • J. Enriquez-Barton, J. Booth, and C. Schaal. Evaluation of contact defects in bio-inspired dry adhesives using guided waves. Health monitoring of structural and biological systems XIX, 2025. doi: 10.1117/12.3051121
  • S. Parthibhan, J. Santiago, O. Palacios, and C. Schaal. Supporting in-space manufacturing via nondestructive evaluation. Health monitoring of structural and biological systems XIX, 2025. doi: 10.1117/12.3050556
  • S. Parthibhan, O. Palacios, J. Santiago, and C. Schaal. Concept development for in-space inspection of bonded joints using guided waves and thermography. SciTech 2025 forum, 2025. doi: 10.2514/6.2025-1984
  • M. Green, F. Alsaffar, A. Mal, and C. Schaal. Lamb wave-based inspection of solar cell arrays. International mechanical engineering congress and exposition (IMECE), 2024. doi: 10.1115/IMECE2024-145068
Read more

Contact