Applying Data Fusion Procedures to Evaluation of Impact Damage in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic by Using Optical Infrared Thermography and Laser Vibrometry Techniques

This study is devoted to the development of fusion techniques for data obtained by one or several nondestructive testing (NDT) methods. Experimental results were obtained by applying laser vibrometry and optical infrared thermography to evaluation of impact damage to carbon fiber composites. These NDT techniques are different by their physical nature and supply specific testing results. The proposed data fusion method allows increasing the reliability of inspection results and enables estimating defect parameters. It involves both averaging data of each single NDT technique and merging the results obtained by two methods. Vibrograms obtained by laser vibrometry are used to analyze acoustic response of the test sample to stimulation at various frequencies. In turn, infrared thermographic NDT supplies the sample response to thermal stimulation. It has been shown that the fusion of these two techniques supplies a comprehensive information on defect size and location. Also, the automation of the fusion procedure increases NDT productivity and reduces subjectivity of testing results.