A Robotized Non-destructive Quality Device for the Inspection of Glue Joints by Active Thermography
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A Robotized Non-destructive Quality Device for the Inspection of Glue Joints by Active Thermography M. Hill1
· B. Faupel2
Received: 29 November 2019 / Accepted: 20 August 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Due to its flexibility for use in various applications active thermography is of interest for non-destructive evaluation of defects in various materials. In particular, active thermography allows for identification of imperfections inside glue joints like delaminations, air pockets or inclusions of foreign particles. The contribution of this work is the development and validation of a small and portable device that can inspect large glue joints of fiber composites components like aircraft fuselages and wind turbine blades. The thermography device consists of a heat source and an infrared camera mounted to a mobile industrial robot system that guides the device along a trajectory above the inspection object. At the same time, images are acquired by the infrared camera and the current position of the device is monitored. The images are processed via LabVIEW to automatically detect irregularities and save the coordinates and an image of the defect in a log. This enables tracking, closer analysis and eventual repairs. Compared to previous thermography procedures this method allows downsizing of the heat source and flexible adjustments to the size and contour of the test component. As a result, it is possible to reduce testing times and divide the complete surface into small areas which allows detection of sub-millimeter defects during the manufacturing process and for example inspection of wind turbines already in operation. Therefore, this device is a powerful tool for quality management in the industry 4.0. Keywords Active thermography · NDE CFRP · NDE GFRP · Airplane manufacturing · Wind turbine manufacturing
1 Introduction Active infrared thermography (AIRT) is a method for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of subsurface anomalies or defects in fiber-reinforced compounds used in aircraft fuselages or wind turbine blades. The main advantages of AIRT is the opportunity to quickly perform contactless investigations of large areas by using an infrared (IR) camera. This makes it an attractive alternative to point measurement technologies like eddy current or ultrasound. In particular, AIRT is mostly applied to detect defects in materials like glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) [1] or carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) [2, 3], but it is also used with ceramics [4, 5], metals [6], wood [7], or for the examina-
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M. Hill [email protected]
1
ZeMA - Zentrum für Mechatronik & Automatisierungstechnik gGmbH, Saarbrücken, Germany
2
Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany
tion of the condition of old paintings [8]. Furthermore AIRT needs a thermal stimulation of the test specimen, which is typically realized by IR heat sources, but ultrasonic [9–11] or electromagnetic induction [12, 13] can also be used, depending on the characteri
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