Lock-In Thermography Based NDT of Parts for the Automotive Industry

The successful use of adhesively bonded parts depends on the defect-free bond of the components. Therefore it is necessary to detect relevant faults and defects in an early state of the production. A 100% test should be pursued, but especially at complicated structures the detection of defects is not easy. Possible testing methods, which show a high potential for the NDT of adhesively bonded parts, are thermography based NDT methods. At present mainly two different procedures of active thermography are being used: Pulse and Lock-In Thermography. With pulse thermography the examined material is warmed up with a short energy pulse (light, eddy current or ultrasonic pulse) and the heat response is recorded after a certain time. The result is an infrared image which indicates material defects in different depths. This paper presents a variety of images showing the capability of Lock-In Thermography to image subsurface defects. Several examples of adhesives joints qualify the ultrasonic Lock-In-Thermography for the in-process quality control for adhesive bonded components.