Infrared thermography testing of lamination damages in GFRP used in waterslides

Glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) are lightweight materials with high specific strength and high specific rigidity and is widely used in construction, machinery and other fields. With the improvement of economic levels and living standards, major cities in China have carried out a large number of water park construction. The major facilities in water parks are waterslides. The fastest waterslide in China is 25 m high at the running speed of 75 km/h. However, long-term exposure and ultraviolet radiation as well as the effects of alternating pressure of visitor weights make waterslides susceptible to thermal expansion and water seepage, which cause the surface damages to the glass fiber materials of waterslides. For detection of damages in GFRP materials, infrared thermography is more efficient, and more suitable than the conventional non-destructive technology and avoids coupling requirement, and electromagnetic interference [1] .