The theory of thermoelastic stress analysis is reviewed and the implications of some theoretical developments are assessed. Available instrumentation is described and techniques available for separation of individual stress values are summarized. The scope of the technique is illustrated with reference to a number of applications covering crack-tip stress studies, stress analysis and damage assessment in composite materials, and ‘field’ work on a traffic-loaded road bridge.

Development and applications of thermoelastic stress analysis

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Experimental analysis and computational modelling of damage and fracture

In this chapter an outline of the theoretical foundations for the experimental technique of thermoelastic stress analysis is presented, followed by a description of the equipment, test materials, and methods required to perform an analysis. Thermoelastic stress analysis is a technique by which maps of a linear combination of the in-plane surface stresses of a component are obtained by measuring the surface temperature changes induced by time-varying stress/strain distributions using a sensitive infrared detector. Experimental considerations relating to issues such as shielding from background radiation, edge effects, motion compensation, detector setup, calibration, and data interpretation are discussed. The potential of the technique is illustrated using a number of examples that involve isotropic as well as orthotropic materials, fracture mechanics, separation of component stresses, and vibration analysis. Applications of the method to situations involving residual stresses, elevated temperatures, and variable amplitude loading are also considered.

Thermoelastic Stress Analysis

A comprehensive review is given of methods to determine the stress intensity factor at crack tips using thermoelastic stress analysis. In order to obtain accurate results a number of areas of experimental procedure need to be considered and these are discussed in detail. The paper concludes with a discussion on the future potential of the use of thermoelasticity for the analysis of cracks.

Thermoelasticity for the analysis of crack tip stress fields — a review

This paper describes the potential of off-line thermographic signal processing by means of Lock-In Correlation algorithms, in order to implement structural health monitoring and stress analysis techniques. Thermal datasets acquired by infrared thermocameras are locked-in and correlated numerically with opportune reference signals, and amplitude and phase values of various harmonics retrieved by means of a Fast Fourier Transform and time averaging based filtering. This information is then processed for NDT defect probing and for evaluating the Thermoelastic Effect induced temperature changes. Two case studies in particular are discussed, implementing the proposed signal lock-in processing: a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis of a Brazilian disc under cyclic compression, and NDT of a delaminated polymer matrix composite panel. The NDT case study evidences the ability of the lock-in algorithm to analyse the response of the component to multi-frequency modulated heat waves, while both case studies demonstrate the potentials of the off-line signal treatment to enable low cost thermal setups.

Lock-In Signal Post-Processing Techniques in Infra-Red Thermography for Materials Structural Evaluation

Determining stress components from the thermoelastic data—A theoretical study

A state-of-the-art thermographic system has been developed based on a 512×512 focal-plane array thermal imager. The system, dubbed FAST (for focal-plane array for synchronous thermography) is able to deliver high-resolution full-field thermoelastic stress scans in minutes rather than hours. The paper itemizes the hardware components together with their functions.

Design of a focal-plane array thermographic system for stress analysis

A state-of-the-art thermographic system has been developed based on a 512×512 focal-plane array thermal imager. The system was primarily designed to perform stress analysis, but has applications in other areas where small cyclic temperature variations are encountered. A detailed analysis of its performance relative to an existing equipment (SPATE) revealed that, at least for low frequency applications, the proposed system out performs SPATE by some two to three orders of magnitude such that high-resolution area scans can now be achieved in minutes instead of hours. It is suggested that higher frequency applications (i.e., order of 102 Hz) can be achieved with more up-to-date imagers.

T. G. Ryall

Papers

Determining stress components from the thermoelastic data—A theoretical study

Design of a focal-plane array thermographic system for stress analysis

Performance of the FAST system for stress analysis

On the determination of dynamic and static stress components from experimental thermoelastic data