Passive thermography and acoustic emission data were obtained for improved real time damage detection during fatigue loading. A strong positive correlation was demonstrated between acoustic energy event location and thermal heating, especially if the structure under load was nearing ultimate failure. An image processing routine was developed to map the acoustic emission data onto the thermal imagery. This required removing optical barrel distortion and angular rotation from the thermal data. The acoustic emission data were then mapped onto thermal data, revealing the cluster of acoustic emission event locations around the thermal signatures of interest. By combining both techniques, progression of damage growth is confirmed and areas of failure are identified. This technology provides improved real time inspections of advanced composite structures during fatigue testing.

Date Published: 11 May 2016
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 9861, Thermosense: Thermal Infrared Applications XXXVIII, 98610G (11 May 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2220402

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9861:
Thermosense: Thermal Infrared Applications XXXVIII
Joseph N. Zalameda; Paolo Bison, Editor(s)