Research on thermal wave processing of lock-in thermography based on analyzing image sequences for NDT

Lock-in thermography, an active IR thermography technique for NDT, is based on propagation and reflection of thermal waves which are launched from the surface into the inspected component by absorption of modulated radiation. In this paper, thermal wave image sequences were sampled by a Cedip JADE MWIR 550 FPA infrared camera. Thermal wave signal processing algorithms are investigated to obtain information on subsurface defects. The Fourier transform, four-point correlation, and digital lock-in correlation algorithms are applied to extract the amplitude and phase of thermal wave’s harmonic component. A novel method called the time constant method (TCM) is proposed to analyze subsurface defects by using lock-in thermography. The experimental results confirm the thermal wave signal processing algorithms’ efficiency on subsurface defect detection.     

A new measurement method of coatings thickness based on lock-in thermography

Coatings have been widely used in modern industry and it plays an important role. Coatings thickness is directly related to the performance of the functional coatings, therefore, rapid and accurate coatings thickness inspection has great significance. Existing coatings thickness measurement method is difficult to achieve fast and accurate on-site non-destructive coatings inspection due to cost, accuracy, destruction during inspection and other reasons. This paper starts from the introduction of the principle of lock-in thermography, and then performs an in-depth study on the application of lock-in thermography in coatings inspection through numerical modeling and analysis. The numerical analysis helps explore the relationship between coatings thickness and phase, and the relationship lays the foundation for accurate calculation of coatings thickness. The author sets up a lock-in thermography inspection system and uses thermal barrier coatings specimens to conduct an experiment. The specimen coatings thickness is measured and calibrated to verify the quantitative inspection. Experiment results show that the lock-in thermography method can perform fast coatings inspection and the inspection accuracy is about 95%. Therefore, the method can meet the field testing requirements for engineering projects.     

An infrared thermal image processing framework based on superpixel algorithm to detect cracks on metal surface

Infrared thermography has been used increasingly as an effective non-destructive technique to detect cracks on metal surface. Due to many factors, infrared thermal image has low definition compared to visible image. The contrasts between cracks and sound areas in different thermal image frames of a specimen vary greatly with the recorded time. An accurate detection can only be obtained by glancing over the whole thermal video, which is a laborious work. Moreover, experience of the operator has a great important influence on the accuracy of detection result. In this paper, an infrared thermal image processing framework based on superpixel algorithm is proposed to accomplish crack detection automatically. Two popular superpixel algorithms are compared and one of them is selected to generate superpixels in this application. Combined features of superpixels were selected from both the raw gray level image and the high-pass filtered image. Fuzzy c-means clustering is used to cluster superpixels in order to segment infrared thermal image. Experimental results show that the proposed framework can recognize cracks on metal surface through infrared thermal image automatically.     

Frequency modulated infrared imaging for thermal characterization of nanomaterials

The paper presents frequency modulated thermal wave imaging (FMTWI) as a fast and efficient non-contact technique for in-plane thermal characterization of thin plate nanomaterials. A novel excitation signal in the form of an up-chirp is applied and the thermal response is monitored using an infrared (IR) thermography based temperature sensing system. The in-plane thermal diffusivity of any sample can be measured using the multiple phase information extracted from a single run of the experiment. This feature provides a time efficient approach for thermal measurements using infrared thermography techniques. The theoretical background and experimental details of the technique are discussed, with practical measurement of thermal diffusivity of an empty anodic alumina (AAO) template in direction perpendicular to the nanochannel axis, in support.     

Introducing infrared thermography in soil dynamics

The paper introduces infrared thermography as a non-contact and non-destructive technique that conveniently offers the possibility of evaluating the energy-dissipating ability of soil, generally difficult to be determined using traditional techniques. It allows records and observations in real time of heat patterns produced by the dissipation of energy caused by friction between grains. Such dissipative heat occurs when soil is subjected to vibratory loading exceeding the characteristic threshold, and it evidences the distortion mechanism. This energy dissipation mechanism influences the wave propagation, intergranular attenuation, and dispersion through particles contacts. The infrared thermographic technique, which couples mechanical and thermal energy, offers the potential of directly monitoring the stress state of particle rearrangement and predicting the macroscopic mechanical response of soils subjected to cyclic, dynamic or vibratory loading. In addition, infrared thermography evidences the fuse effect of soil, capable to mitigate significantly the earthquake loading on engineering structures.     

Infrared thermography to detect residual ceramic in gas turbine blades

A serious problem in the production of gas turbine blades is the detection of residual ceramic cores inside the cooling passages; in fact, the presence of even small ceramic pieces affects turbine performance and may cause difficulties in successive manufacturing. Therefore, it is important to have a non-destructive technique that must be capable of detecting tiny ceramic fragments in a fast and easy way. In this perspective, the suitability of infrared thermography was investigated within cooperation between the University of Naples and the Europea Microfusioni Aerospaziali S.p.A. (EMA). Several blades of three different types were inspected revealing that in many cases infrared thermography can discover small ceramic fragments which were missed by X-ray inspection. In addition, infrared thermography allows gaining of information about other types of anomalies (e.g., surface defects) during the same testing step (by eventually changing the test parameters) and then saving time and money. The obtained results look promising in view of introducing infrared thermography among industrial instrumentation as an alternative to, or integrated with, the most currently utilized non-destructive techniques.     

锁相热像方法实验测量Nb2O5薄膜吸收率

利用锁相热像方法定量测量了光学镀膜的吸收率。待测薄膜吸收周期调制的激光能量，在表面形成热波，将红外相机记录的热分布信号进行锁相相关处理，获得信噪比提高的热图像。采用标准吸收样品对系统进行定标，可获得光热信号幅度与样品吸收率之间的定量联系，进而在相同实验条件下测量待测样品，可通过光热信号直接计算获得其绝对吸收率。在1 060 nm波长处开展了实验研究，测量获得了不同厚度Nb₂O₅镀膜的吸收率数值，实测的吸收可达80 ppm。     

Detection of osmotic damages in GRP boat hulls

Infrared thermography as a tool of non-destructive testing is method enabling visualization and estimation of structural anomalies and differences in structure’s topography. In presented paper problem of osmotic damage in submerged glass reinforced polymer structures is addressed. The osmotic damage can be detected by a simple humidity gauging, but for proper evaluation and estimation testing methods are restricted and hardly applicable. In this paper it is demonstrated that infrared thermography, based on estimation of heat wave propagation, can be used. Three methods are addressed; Pulsed thermography, Fast Fourier Transform and Continuous Morlet Wavelet. An additional image processing based on gradient approach is applied on all addressed methods. It is shown that the Continuous Morlet Wavelet is the most appropriate method for detection of osmotic damage.     

Non-destructive defect characterization of concrete structures reinforced by means of FRP

The aim of this work is to develop a reliable and precise non-destructive testing technique based on infrared thermography and post processing by means of neural networks. In particular, the experimental procedure to be implemented consists mainly in the “impulsive” heating of the structure and in the analysis of the superficial thermal response by means of a thermocamera. The procedure requires a detailed set-up, in order to assess its feasibility. In this work is presented the case study of a concrete structure strengthened by bonded FRP, with imposed well-known defects. The results obtained by means of infrared thermography were compared with results obtained by ultrasonic testing.     

EMIR: a photothermal tool for electromagnetic phenomena characterization

The heat-photon conversion phenomenon can be used to obtain a thermal image of an electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field is partially absorbed by a sensitive paint or by a coating deposited on structures or on thin films. A map of the temperature increase of this absorbing medium is an image of the electric or magnetic intensity field distribution, depending on the electric and magnetic properties of the medium. A brief history of the various techniques used to obtain thermal images of electromagnetic fields is first presented. Emphasis is then put on infrared thermography which has been preferentially used in the past 20 years. An analysis of the thermal problems involved is presented. It appears that the solution to these problems is the key for the enhancement of the technique and for really quantitative work. Original solutions have been developed at ONERA, based on the combined use of optimised thin films with controlled electric conductivity, very sensitive infrared cameras, lock-in infrared thermography, and microwave interferometry. In these conditions, quantitative images of both amplitude and phase are obtained. Such an electromagnetic field imaging technique is a powerful tool which has no equivalent and which can be used for several types of applications such as: i) antenna radiation pattern characterization; ii) mode propagation characterization in waveguides; iii) study of absorption phenomena in complex materials; iv) nondestructive evaluation of dielectric structures (electromagnetic windows) or radar absorbing materials; v) knowledge of surface currents distribution on metallic structures.     

Square pulse thermography in frequency domain as adaptation of pulsed phase thermography for qualitative and quantitative applications in cultural heritage and civil engineering

A methodical approach for qualitative and quantitative non-destructive testing of near-surface structures in civil engineering (CE) with active thermography is presented. It adopts the non-destructive testing (NDT) method of pulsed phase thermography (PPT) for the special requirements of CE and cultural heritage. The concept might be understood as a square pulse thermography (SPT) in frequency domain or an amplitude-expanded PPT with square pulse heating.After a discussion of the material spanning concept and qualitative results in cultural heritage a new approach for quantitative non-destructive testing (NDT) of near-surface structures in CE with active thermography is introduced and tested by investigations on concrete specimen with artificial defects. It is based on the thermal diffusivity of the material and the characteristic frequency of the first extrema of phase and amplitude contrast and aims at complementing the established approaches for defect depth calculation for measurements with long heating and observation times. It should be easily extendable to other fields of application.     

Application of infrared lock-in thermography for the quantitative evaluation of bruises on pears

An infrared lock-in thermography technique was adjusted for the detection of early bruises on pears. This mechanical damage is usually difficult to detect in the early stage after harvested using conventional visual sorting or CCD sensor-based imaging processing methods. We measured the thermal emission signals from pears using a highly sensitive mid-infrared thermal camera. These images were post-processed using a lock-in method that utilized the periodic thermal energy input to the pear. By applying the lock-in method to infrared thermography, the detection sensitivity and signal to noise ratio were enhanced because of the phase-sensitive narrow-band filtering effect. It was also found that the phase information of thermal emission from pears provides good metrics with which to identify quantitative information about both damage size and damage depth for pears. Additionally, a photothermal model was implemented to investigate the behavior of thermal waves on pears under convective conditions. Theoretical results were compared to experimental results. These results suggested that the proposed lock-in thermography technique and resultant phase information can be used to detect mechanical damage to fruit, especially in the early stage of bruising.     

IR thermography characterization of residual stress in plastically deformed metallic components

A remote and non-destructive method for the characterization of residual stress in metallic components is here proposed. Such a method is based on the application of infrared thermography for the evaluation of thermal diffusivity, which is expected to be dependent on the local dislocation density in the material lattice induced by plastic deformations. Preliminary experimental results obtained on a yielded ASTM 516 grade 65 steel specimen are presented and discussed on the basis of microhardness and optical metallographic investigations carried out on the same sample.     

A study of defect depth using neural networks in pulsed phase thermography: modelling,noise, experiments

Pulsed phase thermography (PPT) was recently introduced, and up to now analysis of this infrared thermographic approach for non-destructive evaluation has been limited to qualitative aspects. The study presented in this paper is the first attempt to extract quantitative information from PPT results. The approach proposed is based on neural networks well known for their ability to handle complex non-linear problems with access to partial noisy data. In the paper, a thermal model is first presented. This model helps in designing the neural network architecture. PPT fundamentals based on pulsed and lock-in thermography concepts are briefly recalled. Also found in the paper are sections on noise with relations to phase and frequency, neural networks, experimental data on both aluminum and plastic materials. The papers concludes with possible directions of work. The proposed method combining PPT with neural network analysis is shown to be encouraging. The sampling frequency with respect to inspected material thermal conductivity is an experimental limitation.     

Inspection on SiC coated carbon–carbon composite with subsurface defects using pulsed thermography

An investigation on SiC coated carbon–carbon (C/C) composite plates has been undertaken by pulsed thermography. The heat transfer model has been built and the finite element method (FEM) is applied to solve the thermal model. The simulation results show that defects with DA/DP smaller than one can hardly be detected by an infrared camera with the sensitivity of 0.02 °C. Certificated experiments were performed on the built pulsed thermography system. The thermal wave signals have been processed by subtracting background image method (SBIM), pulsed phase thermography (PPT), and temperature–time logarithm fitting method (TtLFM). The limit DA/DP of defects in SiC coated C/C composite plates with the thickness of 6 mm that can be detected by pulsed thermography with the presented signal analysis algorithms has been obtained.     

Application of golay complementary coded excitation schemes for non-destructive testing of sandwich structures

In recent years, InfraRed Thermography (IRT) has become a widely accepted non-destructive testing technique to evaluate the structural integrity of composite sandwich structures due to its full-field, remote, fast and in-service inspection capabilities. This paper presents a novel infrared thermographic approach named as Golay complementary coded thermal wave imaging is presented to detect disbonds in a sandwich structure having face sheets from Glass/Carbon Fibre Reinforced (GFR/CFR) laminates and core of the wooden block.     

Analysis of the configuration and the location of thermographic equipment for the inspection in photovoltaic systems

The infrared (IR) thermography is a non-destructive technique (NDT) which is used to carry out maintenance quickly and easily in photovoltaic (PV) systems. IR imaging with thermographic cameras under steady state conditions is a usual method for quality control of PV modules and plants in operation. For the proper IR inspection which determines the severity or the importance of the detected findings, it is necessary to consider different aspects of the configuration and the location of the thermographic equipment which allow reducing measuring errors. This paper considers some elements which contribute to the accurate configuration of the thermographic equipment. The influence of the reflected apparent temperature in outdoor IR inspections is analysed and it is proposed a simple method for obtaining it. Besides, the importance of the emissivity in IR thermography is analysed. For that, the value of the emissivity in PV modules of various types both front and rear shape is determined experimentally. It is also studied the proper location of the thermographic equipment in order to minimize reflections of the sun and the sky. For this objective, it is studied the ideal and minimum height of inspection according to the layout of the PV system. In a particular case, it is also analysed the influence of the horizontal angle of thermographic inspection and the reflected radiation.     

Active infrared thermographic inspection technique for elevated concrete structures using remote heating system

Conventionally, the inspection of elevated concrete structures requires the use of scaffolding or an aerial truck. In this study, elevated railway structures constructed of reinforced concrete were inspected using active infrared thermography. The inspection area corresponded to half of the middle slab covering an area of 16.8 m²; one inspection was carried out that took about 15 min. A remote heating system consisting of a 6-kW air-cooled xenon arc lamp and a scanner system was developed to detect hidden defects in elevated concrete structures without the need for an aerial truck or scaffolding. The generation of a thermal image and irradiation are carried out simultaneously by the beam scanning. High-contrast infrared thermal images can be obtained by the simple image processing procedure that is proposed.     

Evaluation of paint coating thickness variations based on pulsed Infrared thermography laser technique

In this paper, a pulsed Infrared thermography technique using a homogeneous heat provided by a laser source is used for the non-destructive evaluation of paint coating thickness variations. Firstly, numerical simulations of the thermal response of a paint coated sample are performed. By analyzing the thermal responses as a function of thermal properties and thickness of both coating and substrate layers, optimal excitation parameters of the heating source are determined. Two characteristic parameters were studied with respect to the paint coating layer thickness variations. Results obtained using an experimental test bench based on the pulsed Infrared thermography laser technique are compared with those given by a classical Eddy current technique for paint coating variations from 5 to 130 μm. These results demonstrate the efficiency of this approach and suggest that the pulsed Infrared thermography technique presents good perspectives to characterize the heterogeneity of paint coating on large scale samples with other heating sources.     

A study on detection of micro-cracks in the dissimilar metal weld through ultrasound infrared thermography

This study was conducted to investigate a possibility of detecting stress corrosion crack defects in a pipe welded with dissimilar metals (STS304 and SA106 Gr. b) through infrared ultrasound thermography and lock-in phase method. The ultrasound generator was set as 250 W in output and 19.8 kHz in frequency. With experiment results, this study could detect, cracks located inside the dissimilar metal weld pipe through lock-in infrared thermography and compare thermography images obtained from both the inside and the outside when the ultrasound vibration was applied to the outer part of the pipe. Besides, after cutting off the pipe in the axial direction, this study conducted PT inspection. As a result, it was found there existed more than a single crack in a certain range inside the pipe, which made hot spots appear in a wide range on the thermography image. Moreover, through ultrasound infrared thermography and lock-in phase method this study verified the possibility of detecting micro-sized shattered cracks through ultrasound thermography, which were not easy to detect with the existing techniques.