IRT
Thermography Inspection
Infrared imaging that finds flaws and disbonds by mapping how heat moves through a material.
- Method code
- IRT
- Materials
- Composites, bonded structures, metals
- Product forms
- Control surfaces, panels, laminates
- Standards
- ASTM E2582 and manufacturer procedures
Thermography watches how heat moves through a structure, and finds what lies beneath the surface by the shadow it casts in that flow.
How it works
The surface is warmed slightly and an infrared camera records how it cools. Heat conducts away into sound material, but a disbond, a delamination or a pocket of water interrupts that path, so the surface directly above it cools at a different rate and appears as a thermal contrast in the recorded sequence. Because the camera sees a whole area at once, a large panel can be covered quickly.
What it detects
Disbonds and delaminations in composite and bonded structure, water ingress in honeycomb cells, impact damage, and crushed core. These are near-surface conditions, and the method is at its strongest where the structure is relatively thin.
Typical applications
Composite control surfaces and bonded panels on aircraft, including rudder side panels and elevators inspected to the manufacturer’s technical manual procedure, and wide-area screening where a fast first pass is wanted before a slower method is applied to anything found.
Sectors this method is used in
Other testing methods
Aircraft on the ground
Rapid Aircraft on Ground response to keep your aircraft safe and your operation moving.
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Magnetic Particle Inspection
Reveals surface and near-surface defects in ferromagnetic parts using magnetic fields and fine particles.
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Dye Penetrant Testing
Highlights surface-breaking flaws on non-porous materials using a penetrating dye and developer.
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Ultrasonic Inspection
Uses high-frequency sound waves to detect internal flaws and measure material thickness.
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Where to next
Approvals
The approvals we hold for NDT inspection on all aircraft types, materials and structures.
Find out moreServices
The full range of non-destructive testing methods we carry out, in the laboratory and on site.
Find out moreIndustries
The sectors we test for, from aerospace to petro-chemical and industrial.
Find out moreContact
Speak to the sales team, or reach any of our offices 24 hours a day for AOG support.
Find out more
Ready when you are
Talk to our inspection team
Tell us what needs inspecting and we will tell you how we would approach it, what it will cost and how quickly we can be there. No obligation, and you speak to an engineer rather than a call centre.
Aircraft on ground? The AOG line is answered around the clock, every day of the year.
