Numerical modelling and experimental evaluation of the composites using active infrared thermography with forced cooling

ABSTRACT Active infrared thermography is one of the methods of non-destructive testing widely used in modern industry. One of the basic advantages of this particular method is its versatility – it can be used for most of the materials regardless of their physical properties. Therefore, this technique is used for non-destructive testing of the composite structures, which lately became extremely important in many industry branches. In the case of the active thermography, the needed temperature difference is usually obtained by delivering the energy to the system (i.e. heating). However, this approach is not always possible and safe for the tested materials. In this article, we suggest applying cooling to achieve a temperature difference within the tested sample. First, we will present the results of the numerical modelling of the cooling process (and cooling combined with heating) in the layered composite structures, subsequently verified in a series of experiments.