Optimization of the photothermal camera for crack detection

Abstract

A new design of photothermal camera permits the detection of surface-breaking flaws in metallic materials through an original technique of active IR thermography. The novelty of this equipment allows to reveal cracks of a few micrometers wide in a contactless way and even on rough « industrial » surfaces. The performances obtained on an industrial « demonstrator » of such a camera permit to consider that this technology is an industrial alternative to conventional NDT techniques (penetrants, eddy currents, magnetics⋯) for fast and remote surface damages detection.