Pulsed photothermal evaluation of layered materials

Abstract

A pulsed photothermal technique is described for the nondestructive evaluation of stratified materials. The time history of the surface temperature after the absorption of a short laser pulse is used to obtain information about the subsurface structure and the thermophysical properties of the material. Applications to the inspection of plasma-sprayed coatings and graphite-epoxy laminates are presented.