Infrared Thermographic Inspection of Aerospace CFRP Laminates and Sandwiches: Resistive Heating Element as a Source of Thermal Stimulation

The article discusses research in the field of using resistive heating elements cut out from conductive film as thermal stimulation sources for performing fast and effective active infrared inspection of aircraft parts made of composite materials consisting of carbon fibers and a polymer matrix. These heating elements can be added once only for the purpose of inspection, or they can be integrated into the structure of the composite parts. The suitability of their use for thermographic inspection of monolithic laminates as well as sandwich structures was experimentally verified.