Thermographic Inspections Save Skins and Prevent Blackouts

About this technology

Overview

To help ensure the safety of the Nation's aging fleet of commercial aircraft, Langley developed scanning thermography" technology that nondestructively inspects older aircraft fuselage components. Scanning thermography involves heating a component's surface and subsequently measuring the surface temperature using an infrared camera to identify structural defects such as corrosion and disbonding. It is a completely non-invasive and non-contacting process. Scans can detect defects in conventional metals and plastics as well as in bonded aluminum composites plastic- and resin-based composites and laminated structures. The apparatus used for scanning is highly portable and can cover the surface of a test material up to six times faster than conventional thermography. In 1996 ThermTech Services Inc. of Stuart Florida approached NASA in an effort to evaluate the technology for application in the power and process industries where corrosion is of serious concern. ThermTech Services proceeded to develop the application for inspecting boiler waterwall tubing at fossil-fueled electric-generating stations. In 1999 ThermTech purchased the rights to NASA's patented technology and developed the specialized equipment required to apply the inspecting method to power plant components."