Mechanical damage assessment of Polymer-Matrix Composites using active infrared thermography

The present work uses an active form of the infrared (IR) thermography technique for monitoring and characterization of the damage of glass fibers reinforced Polymer-Matrix Composites (PMCs) following an experimental protocol based on a monotonic tensile test with constant stress steps. The active form introduces a new approach using the cooling rate variation of the material after thermal stimulations during different constant stress levels. This study proves that the cooling speed increases when the damage state has accentuated due to the change of the applied stress. This new approach is original because it allows the auscultation of materials and structures at rest and in service under mechanical loadings without destroying them and with no contact.