Portable Thermographic Examination of Composite Structures

摘要

A portable infrared thermographic inspection system which incorporates a light weight infrared imager, a radiant heat source with shutters, a data recording device and a data analysis capability has been developed and demonstrated. The system has shown excellent results for the detection of impact damage, heat damage, moisture intrusion, embedded discontinuities and other forms of defects in composite rotor blade and airframe structure as well as glass fiber and Kevlar fiber composite armor structures. The infrared thermal approach to the inspection of these structures has shown a sensitivity to defects on a comparable level with competing nondestructive testing approaches while completing examinations rapidly and with no contaminating contact with the component surface.