Preliminary investigation of corrosion surfaces under coating on a plate using IR thermal imaging camera

A novel integration of infrared IR thermography is proposed for nondestructive detection of steel corrosion by taking advantage of the difference in thermal characteristics of corroded and non-corroded steel. The objective of this research is to study the potential of infrared thermography as early identification method and as complement to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to identify corrosion under paint. Steel were fabricated and coated with primer paint. Active infrared thermography is applied to those plates to detect the corrosion which are not visible via normal visual inspection. The experiments are assisted by heat stimulation device and an infrared camera. The difference in temperature between the corroded and non corroded area was found to be high enough to get a clear image of the defect. The positive results gives verification that there is a potential for infrared thermography to be used to detect pipe thinning and corrosion under paint.