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We combine three different approaches to greatly enhance the defect reconstruction ability of active thermographic testing. As experimental approach, laser-based structured illumination is performed in a step-wise manner. As an intermediate signal processing step, the virtual wave concept is used in order to effectively convert the notoriously difficult to solve diffusion-based inverse problem into a somewhat milder wavebased inverse problem. As a final step, a compressed-sensing based optimization procedure is applied which efficiently solves the inverse problem by making advantage of the joint sparsity of multiple blind measurements. To evaluate our proposed processing technique, we investigate an additively manufactured stainless steel sample with eight internal defects. The concerted super resolution approach is compared to conventional thermographic reconstruction techniques and shows an at least four times better spatial resolution.
The method described here allows to determine the size of the thermal contact between two metal sheets joined by spot welding. This size is a measure for the size of the weld nugget, i.e. the zone melted during the welding process, and thus the quality of the welded joint. The method applies active thermography in transmission or reflection setup. Especially the reflection setup offers an attractive possibility for non-destructive testing when components can be accessed from one side only. The spot weld region is optically heated by laser or flash light radiation. The weld nugget provides the mechanical joint, but also constitutes a thermal bridge between the two welded sheets. The latter will be exploited in this method. The better thermal contact at the weld Nugget contrasts with the surrounding material, where the heat transfer between the two sheets is comparatively low. A major advantage of the described method is the applicability on sheets without any surface treatment. This is achieved by a proper normalization of the data, allowing for a correction of the varying surface emissivity.
Methods for the combination (i. e. comparison and overlay) and data fusion (i. e. integration of all data in one data set, replacement of data) of active thermography and D laser scanner (light section method) have been developed. Systematic investigations for quantification of damage in historic structures are presented using both techniques. A case study shows that reproducible investigations at regular time intervals are very well suited for structural monitoring.
For assuring the safety and reliability of components and constructions in energy applications made of fiber-reinforced polymers (e.g., blades of wind turbines and tidal power plants, engine chassis, flexible oil and gas pipelines) innovative non-destructive testing methods are required. Within the European Project VITCEA complementary methods (shearography, microwave, ultrasonics and thermography) have been further developed and validated. Together with partners from the industry, test specimens have been constructed and selected on-site containing different artificial and natural defect artefacts. As base materials, carbon and glass fibers in different orientations and layering embedded in different matrix materials (epoxy, polyamide) have been considered. In this contribution, the validation of flash and lock-in thermography to these testing problems is presented. Data analysis is based on thermal contrasts and phase evaluation techniques. Experimental data are compared to analytical and numerical models. Among others, the influence of two different types of artificial defects (flat bottom holes and delaminations) with varying diameters and depths and of two different materials (CFRP and GFRP) with unidirectional and quasi-isotropic fiber alignment is discussed.
Applications of infrared thermography in civil engineering are not limited to the identification of heat losses in building envelopes. Active infrared thermography methods enable structural investigations of building elements with one-sided access up to a depth of about 10 cm. Masonry and especially historical masonry has a very heterogeneous structure containing several different materials (brick, stone, mortar, plaster, wood, metal, etc.) with various thermal properties. As many classes of damage originate from defects that are close to the surface, active thermography is in general very well suited to assessing different test problems in cultural heritage buildings. In this paper, the physical background, equipment, environmental influences and material properties are discussed. Several application results are presented. It is shown how active thermography can be integrated into a holistic approach for the assessment of historical structures.
Die Bewertung des Zustandes und der Haftung von Putz und Fassadenelementen auf den darunterliegenden Bauwerksstrukturen ist eine häufig auftretende Fragestellung bei der Erhaltung und Instandsetzung von Bauwerken und Baudenkmälern. Hier müssen nicht nur wirtschaftliche und denkmalpflegerische, sondern auch sicherheitsrelevante Aspekte berücksichtigt werden. Fehlstellen und Ablösungen können, auch wiederholend, mit hoher Nachweisempfindlichkeit mit aktiven Thermografieverfahren geortet und unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen quantitativ bewertet werden. Dazu wird der zu untersuchende Bereich zunächst kurzzeitig (mehrere Minuten lang) erwärmt und anschließend die Abkühlung mit einer Infrarotkamera aufgezeichnet. Systematische Untersuchungen an Probekörpern mit einer Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Fehlstellen unterhalb von Kalkputz, Fliesen und Klinkerriemchen zeigen, dass die Fehlstellen sowohl mittels künstlicher Erwärmung durch einen Infrarotstrahler als auch mittels natürlicher Erwärmung durch die Sonne detektiert und charakterisiert werden können. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The evaluation of condition and adhesion of plaster and façade elements to the underlying building structure is a common issue in the maintenance and repair of buildings and monuments. Here not only economic and preservation, but also safety relevant aspects have to be considered. Voids and delaminations can be detected repeatedly with high sensitivity using active thermography methods. Under certain conditions, also a quantitative evaluation is possible. The area under investigation has to be heated up for a short time (up to several minutes). Subsequently, the cooling down is recorded using an infrared camera. Systematic studies on test specimens with a variety of defects below lime plaster, tiles and brick tiles show that the defects can be detected and even characterized both by means of artificial heating using an infrared heater, as well as by natural solar heating.
Impulse and lock-in thermography have been applied to detect delaminations of prototype solder joints, similar to those to be produced between Cu shunts and Cu busbar stabilisers at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Two infrared cameras with different detector materials and with different spectral ranges and two excitation techniques have been tested and compared for their ability to detect delaminations behind 2 and 3 mm thick Cu shunts. We have analyzed the signal to noise ratio (SNR) for each detected defect and are able to detect defects down to a nominal edge length of 4 mm behind 2 mm thick Cu shunts by using fast impulse thermography and a camera with a microbolometer array. For the 3 mm thick Cu shunt, on the other hand, the nominal 4 mm defect is only visible in the lock-in thermography phase images and the highest SNR has been achieved with a cooled InSb-based camera. In addition, numerical simulations show the influence of the minimum detectable defect size on the shunt thickness and that the developed on-site testing technique is sufficient to find all defects that are detectable theoretically.
Additively manufactured test specimens made of polyamide 12 (PA 12) by Laser Sintering as well as of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) by Fused Layer Modelling, were characterised with active thermography directly after manufacturing and after artificial weathering. For this, two different excitation methods (flash and pulse heating) were used and compared, regarding their suitability for the detection of constructed and imprinted defects inside the test specimens. To increase the quality of the thermograms, data processing methods like thermal signal reconstruction (TSR) and Fourier Transformation after TSR were applied. To further investigate the long-term stability of the additively manufactured test specimens towards environmental stress, like UV radiation, heat, humidity, water contact and frost with active thermography, an artificial weathering test over 2000 hours (~3 months) was applied to the specimens. The monitoring of the changes in the optical properties of the weathered plastics was supplemented by spectral reflectance and UV/VIS spectroscopy.
Flash thermography is a fast and reliable non-destructive testing method for the investigation of defects in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials. In this paper numerical simulations of transient thermography data are presented, calculated for a quasi-isotropic flat bottom hole sample. They are compared to experimental data. These simulations are one important step towards the quantitative reconstruction of a flaw by assessing thermographic data. The applied numerical model is based on the finite-element method, extended by a semi-analytical treatment of the boundary of the sample, which is heated by the flash light. A crucial part for a reliable numerical model is the prior determination of the material parameters of the specimen as well as of the experimental parameters of the set-up. The material parameters in plane and in depth diffusivity are measured using laser line excitation. In addition, the absorption and heat transfer process of the first layers is investigated using an IR microscopic lens. The performance of the two distinct components of CFRP during heating – epoxy resin and carbon fibers – is examined. Finally, the material parameters are optimized by variation and comparison of the simulation results to the experimental data. The optimized parameters are compared to the measured ones and further methods to ensure precise material parameter measurements are discussed.
Ever larger high pressure die castings (HPDC) with ever thinner walls raise the issue of casting defects. Properties of components are often strongly influenced by inner porosity. In the case of high pressure die castings, shrinkage and gas porosity occur. Two possibilities of characterizing porosity - by microscopy and acitve thermography - are dealt with in two articles. In the previous article, the microscopic investigations are presented. In this article, first the feasibility of thermographic detection will be discussed based on simulations and, thereafter, the experimental determination of porosity with active thermography will be described.