Thermal (IR) and other NDT techniques for improved material inspection

Thermal nondestructive testing (TNDT) may be considered to be a more widely applicable method than many traditional techniques, such as X ray, ultrasonic, eddy current, liquid penetrant, etc. It can be applied to both metals and non-metals containing subsurface defects such as cracks, foreign inclusions, disbonds, delaminations, variations in thermal properties, etc. This is especially true for composite materials, and TNDT is very appropriate for screening purposes. TNDT test results may be analyzed by advanced image processing algorithms. This paper provides a concise review of composite NDT using TNDT in combination with other inspection techniques, providing an opportunity for data fusion.