Thermographic studies of composite structures subjected to static and fatigue loads
Przemysław Daniel Pastuszak, Agnieszka Bondyra, Aleksander Muc
Quarterly No. 3, 2016 pages 139-146
DOI:
keywords: Active Infrared Thermography, multilayered composites, fatigue
abstract In this work, a brief review of various approaches using Infrared Thermography (IRT) as a non-destructive method applied for better understanding of fatigue behaviour and the damage process is presented. Rapid determination of fatigue limits obtained with the use of IRT is in very good agreement with the conventional experimental testing program for a wide range of materials including various types of composites. In addition, it creates the possibility of locating, evaluating and monitoring fatigue damages both within standard specimens and structural components. Despite these achievements, there is little work concerning the use of IRT in the analysis of curved composite structures with delaminations subjected both to static and/or fatigue loads. In this paper, stepwise methodology, how composite curved panels can be incrementally tested in order to characterize and control real damages occurring during static loads is presented with emphasis on the possibility of using it for fatigue tests. It was shown that artificial delamination does not propagate in contrast to real defects which can be monitored by active thermography tests after each load step. The presence and evolution of damages caused by static loads has a great impact on the thermal behaviour of the curved composite panel and can be observed by changes in the temperature contrast on the investigated surfaces. Future works will concern application of the proposed methodology with the use of Active Infrared Thermography (AIRT) in the quantification of failures occurring during fatigue testing of curved composite elements.