Defect Detection and Quantification in Laminated Composites by EATF (Passive) Thermography

For over twenty years [1–3, for example] thermography has been under development as a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique for composite materials. Several techniques are in use in laboratory, manufacturing quality control, and field inspection applications. The purpose of this paper is to present the capabilities of the externally applied thermal field (EATF) [4] (also called passive [5]) thermographic NDE method, to discuss the applications for which it seems best suited, to describe its limitations, and to highlight directions of further development