Characterizing damage in CFRP structures using flash thermography in reflection and transmission configurations

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) specimens with artificial delaminations and with impact damage have been characterized using active thermography with flash excitation. Systematic investigations have been performed in four different experimental configurations of flash lamps and infrared (IR) camera in transmission as well as in reflection alignment. It is shown here that the diffusivities determined for the sound and for the damaged areas give a good measure for damage characterization. Although reflection measurements also give information about defect depth, reflection measurements from only one side are not sufficient for assessing the whole cross section of the specimens. Thus, depending on sample thickness the lateral size of damage could only be determined from reflections measurements from both sides or from transmission measurements. In this paper, measurement accuracy and limits of flash thermography for the investigation of CFRP specimens are presented in detail together with quantitative data concerning the defects.