HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOTHERMAL IMAGING OF NEAR-SURFACE DEFECTS IN MATERIALS AND COMPONENTS

Using photothermal measurements as a new NDE method opens an applicati on field of increasing interest for the predictive maintenance of plan ts and components. As this high resolution method of micro-NDE especia lly applies to the near-surface range of materials, it should be possi ble to deduce lifetime information. From the wide field of other appli cations, the study of the properties of surface coatings seems to be o f special interest. Here, the utilization of a method which is sensiti ve to the near-surface range fits very well with the material's range of interest. Another promising field of application is the characteriz ation and qualification of new materials. This applies especially in c ases where standard NDE methods cannot reveal the information needed.