Solar-stimulated flaw and water incursion detection in fiberglass structures

摘要

Fiberglass is a combination of glass fiber reinforcing material and plastic resin. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages that are commonly found in commercial structures. Fiberglass does not suffer from dry rot or worms as found with wood; from rust, a common problem with steel; or from electrolysis, common problems with both steel and aluminum. However, compared to steel, fiberglass has low fatigue and buckling strengths. This can cause delaminations where stress concentrations are located. Many other factors contribute to delaminations that are invisible to the eye. For this reason an IR thermographic procedure was developed to detect these delaminations and other flaws in fiberglass structures. Due to the confidentiality of this project, neither the name of client or the location of this fiberglass structure will be reviled in this paper.