Water ingress detection in honeycomb sandwich panels by passive infrared thermography using a high-resolution thermal imaging camera

Water ingress in honeycomb structures is of great concern for the civil and military aerospace industries. Pressure and temperature variations during take-off and landing produce considerable stress on aircraft structures, promoting moisture ingress (by diffusion through fibers or by direct ingress through voids, cracks or unsealed joints) into the core. The presence of water (or other fluids such as kerosene, hydraulic fluid and de-icing agents) in any of its forms (gas vapor, liquid or ice) promotes corrosion, cell breakage, and induce composite layer delaminations and skin disbonds. In this study, testing specimens were produced from unserviceable parts from military aircraft. In order to simulate atmospheric conditions during landing, selected core areas were filled with measured quantities of water and then frozen in a cold chamber. The specimens were then removed from the chamber and monitored for over 20 minutes as they warm up using a cooled high-resolution infrared camera. Results have shown that detection and quantification of water ingress on honeycomb sandwich structures by passive infrared thermography is possible using a HD mid-wave infrared cameras for volumes of water as low as 0.2 ml and from a distance as far as 20 m from the target.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye