Thermal imaging techniques for the non destructive inspection of composite materials in real-time

A novel approach for real time inspection of composite materials is presented, which utilises image processing techniques for the characterisation of flaws in composites. The technique is based on transient thermography coupled to the processing of infrared images obtained by exciting the specimen by a thermal pulse. This paper discusses the image reconstruction theory used for defect location, associated image processing techniques, the numerical models for solving the propagation of heat through flawed composites as well as the experimental set-up for testing composites and generating thermal images.