Thermography Inspection for Detection and Tracking of Composite Cylinder Damage During Load Testing

摘要

Two thermography techniques, passive and active, are used to detect damage initiation and progression in a cyclically loaded composite cylinder. The passive thermography tracks damage progression in real time during cyclic loading. Active flash thermography, using a flash tube enclosed within the cylinder, images delaminations in a cylinder under different loads. A differential thermography processing technique eliminates normal material variations and improves sensitivity to and sizing of delaminations. The thermography results were compared to nonimmersion ultrasonic results.