Thermographic system and method of operation thereof having composite implants
First Claim
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1. A system for inspecting materials having a surface, said system inspecting for defects in the materials and comprising:
- a) a composite material placed in intimate contact with materials being inspected;
b) a network placed in intimate contact with said composite material and comprising at least one electrically conductive element having accessible electrical contacts;
c) a source of pulsed current connected to said electrical contacts of said electrically conductive element; and
d) instrumentation having the capability for mapping temperature distributions on said surface of said material being inspected.
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Abstract
A system employing thermographic techniques is provided for inspecting materials and detecting defects therein such as void, inclusions, interlaminar disbonds, or porosity. The system utilizes a composite material and a source of pulsed current which is delivered to conductive elements within the composite material which, in turn, heats the material being inspected allowing thermographic techniques to be employed to measure the temperature distributions related to the application of the heat source and indicative of the defects of the material being measured.
22 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for inspecting materials having a surface, said system inspecting for defects in the materials and comprising:
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a) a composite material placed in intimate contact with materials being inspected;
b) a network placed in intimate contact with said composite material and comprising at least one electrically conductive element having accessible electrical contacts;
c) a source of pulsed current connected to said electrical contacts of said electrically conductive element; and
d) instrumentation having the capability for mapping temperature distributions on said surface of said material being inspected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for inspecting materials having a surface, said method for detecting defects in the materials and comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a composite material that is placed in intimate contact with the materials being inspected;
b) providing a network that is incorporated within said composite material and comprising at least one electrically conductive element having electrical contacts at each end;
c) providing a source of pulsed current which is connected to said conductive element with at least one electrically conductive element at both ends;
d) providing instrumentation having the capability for mapping temperature distributions on said surface;
e) energizing said source of pulsed current which is delivered to said electrically conductive element which, in turn, delivers the pulsed current to said composite material which, in turn, delivers the pulsed current inside said material being inspected; and
f) mapping the temperature distributions on said surface in response to said pulsed current to determine defects in said material being inspected. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification