Infrared NDE
High Speed Infra-Red Testing of Green-State and Sintered P/M Compacts
Ongoing research has resulted in the development of a patented electrostatic multi-pin instrumentation capable of testing green-state compacts directly following compaction. By monitoring an electric current flow through the sample (and recording the voltages over the surface) valuable information is gathered, leading to the prediction of surface-breaking and subsurface defects.
Aim of this program is the rapid, on-line testing of green-state and sintered P/M samples by monitoring its infrared energy. Specifically, this program targets alternative ways of injecting electric energy into the sample followed by recording the energy/sample interaction. The method is expected to gain crucial thermal information from the P/M parts both in the pre- and post-sintered state. To achieve these inspection goals, electric energy is used to create Joule heating in the sample in such a way as to induce subtle and predictable temperature increases. The heat gradient on the surface is dynamically recorded through a sensitive infrared camera and correlated with various good/flawed compacts in an effort to nondestructively assess the quality of the parts under test.
One of the goals of this research is to gain an understanding of how density variations as well as surface-breaking and sub-surface flaws in P/M compacts can be detected through infrared technology. It is expected that by configuring off-the-shelf equipment (such as commercially available power supplies and IR camera systems) an easy-to-implement inspection system on the factory floor can be achieved.
Ultimate objective of this program is to refine the IR approach to reach a development point where it can be implemented on the factory floor near the compaction presses with the goal of handling inspection at speeds of 500 - 1000 samples/hour.
Last modified: September 21, 2007 10:10:38