Thermal non-destructive testing and evaluation for subsurface slag detection: numerical modelling

Abstract

Among various non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) methodologies, active infrared thermography (IRT) has emerged as a viable testing technique for the inspection of materials used in various industrial applications. In recent years, pulse compression favourable IRT techniques and the associated post-processing schemes have been proposed by various research groups to enhance the inspection capabilities of existing conventional techniques, as well as to make experimentation simple and more reliable. This paper exploits a novel complementary coded thermal wave imaging scheme for NDT&E applications, along with the associated data processing method, to enhance the test resolution and sensitivity. The proposed scheme has been numerically modelled on a metallic sample in order to test its capabilities for subsurface defect detection and characterisation.