Fiber Coupled Scanned Themographic NDE

We will investigate the feasibility of thermographic inspection system that employs a small, handheld inspection head, which is swept over an area to be inspected, using IR transmitting fibers and a fiber coupled laser-heating system. The system, if successful, will allow more precise control of heating and data acquisition than current NDE systems allow, and as a result, provide NDE capabilities (in particular, for cracks oriented perpendicular to the sample surface) that significantly surpass the performance of current pulsed or scanned systems. The system will be suitable for either handheld, or robot-mounted operation. The system will utilize a novel signal processing scheme to allow signal to noise comparable to full scale system. The small size and absence of active heating or electronic components in the scanning head will allow inspection of limited access areas, such as radii or tanks, where access is available through a small port, or in environments where hazardous vapors pose an explosion risk.