Determination of defect size for composites using derivative images in pulse thermography

Pulse thermography is a reliable method for detecting defects in composites with advantages of full field, non-contact and easy operation. However, the size determination of subsurface defects with low width-to-depth ratios using pulsed thermography is a challenging task due to the blurred defect edges in infrared thermal images caused by lateral heat diffusion. The present study explores the ability of time derivative images of infrared thermography to predict defect size. 2D thermal conduction of pulse thermography based on the virtual heat source method was analyzed to compare the temperature profile and derivative profile of defects along the diameter direction, and a size prediction method based on the derivative profile is proposed. The feasibility of the proposed method was evaluated by measuring the dimensions of the flat-bottomed holes in the composite panels. The experimental results demonstrated that the size inversion method based on derivative images brings an improvement in measuring accuracy for defects. Additionally, the influences of cooling time, defect depth, defect size and thermal properties of the material on the measurement of defect dimension are also discussed.