High Speed Infrared Camera

  TPUC

  Diffraction User Center
  Residual Stress User Center
  Diff. and Therm. Prop. Group
  High Temperature Materials Laboratory
  Metals and Ceramics Division
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory



Quantitative Thermal Diffusivity Mapping
and Non-Destructive Evaluation

The High Temperature Materials Laboratory has developed a system capable of producing quantitative thermal diffusivity maps of test coupons, plates, and tubes, as well as thermal effusivity maps of complex shaped components such as turbine blades and vanes. This system is ideal for the study of composites and coatings.

At the heart of the system is a high-speed, high-sensitivity infra-red camera with a 256 by 256 pixel focal plane array operating in snap-shot mode. Each one of the 65,536 detectors which make up the focal plane array is exposed at the same time and for the same length of time. This allows for a straight forward pixel to pixel comparison in each image. The spatial resolution can be adjusted down to 5.4 µm and the temperature resolution can be adjusted down to 0.015oC. The camera can operate at speeds up to 142 full frames per second, or up to 6100 images per second at a resolution of 16 by 16 pixels. The exposure time for each image can be adjusted down to 2 microseconds allowing the study of very hot and/or fast moving targets, such as cutting tools, boilers and brake rotors during operation.

During a typical test the sample or part is heated by 1000 W quartz lamps, 1000 W xenon illuminator or 4800 J s xenon flash lamp. The camera is then used to record the temperature response of the heated surface with time. In some cases the thermal response of the backside of the sample is recorded. Custom software is then used to calculate a thermal diffusivity or thermal effusivity for each point in the image. The result is a thermal diffusivity or effusivity map of the object under test. This data can be viewed in a variety of ways including a spreadsheet format, a 2-D false color image, or a 3-D surface plot. The camera can be calibrated for absolute temperature measurement and used in thermography applications. In addition to the measurement of temperature and thermal properties, the camera can also be used for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of subsurface flaws in components.

The camera is portable and can be taken off-site for field work.

Features:

  • Advanced image analysis software
    • Thermography
    • Thermal diffusivity
  • 256 x 256 pixel resolution InSb focal-plane array
  • 120 to 6100 frames per second
  • Temperature resolution greater than 0.015oC
  • Field of view greater than 1.4 mm x 1.4 mm
  • Motorized five-position filter wheel for high temperature studies
  • Snap shot mode
  • Closed-cycle sterling linear cooler
  • Pulse and step heating
  • Spatial resolution down to 5.4 x 10-6m with a microscope attachment

Applications:

The high speed infrared camera has many applications in materials science. To date the system has been used for temperature mapping for processes such as glass forming and lost foam casting, obtaining thermal diffusivity maps of composites, non-destructive detection of subsurface flaws, and for thermal transient capture such as the thermal elastic instabilities in brake rotors.


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Diffraction & Thermophysical Prop. Group | <">High Temperature Materials Laboratory
Metals & Ceramics Division | Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Acknowledgments
URL: http://www.html.ornl.gov/tpuc/ircamera.html