Thermal non‐destructive testing and evaluation for inspection of carbon fibre‐reinforced polymers

Abstract

Thermal non‐destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) is crucial in ensuring the quality and safety of industrial materials, components and structures. It serves as a key tool for assessing their operational reliability, thus enhancing safety in a wide range of industries. There is a growing demand for dependable, swift, remote and secure inspection and assessment techniques to detect hidden flaws, especially for sustainable solutions, which prompts adjustments in design and manufacturing standards. Hidden defects often emerge during the service life of these materials and structures due to various stress factors, potentially resulting in catastrophic failures. This study delves into an optimal and dependable experimental method for conducting fast, remote and secure inspections and assessments of carbon fibre‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials using infrared imaging (IRI) as part of thermal non‐destructive testing and evaluation (TNDT&E). Additionally, it examines the post-processing approach associated with this technique. This perspective also sheds light on the current state-of-the-art of infrared imaging methods employed in TNDT&E, emphasising the strengths and weaknesses in their ability to detect subsurface defects present within the material. Most of the methods discussed in previous research primarily focus on the thermal differences in specific areas of a sample using processed thermal images, even though these images come from analysing a series of images captured over time. This study highlights the latest research in thermal/infrared non‐destructive testing and evaluation, along with related post-processing techniques. It not only aims to show hidden subsurface defects through thermal differences but also provides information about how these defects change over time.