Characterisation of damage in composite materials using infrared thermography

The Non Destructive Testing (NDT) of large surface composite aerostructures is a very time consuming but critical process. Optical thermography is a relatively fast method for large surface inspection. This method is currently applied as first quick scan after which more detailed inspections are performed with different NDT methods to determine the defect properties and severity. This research is conducted to determine the defect characterisation capabilities of optical thermography as a NDT method for CFRP aerostructures.