Optimizing thermographic testing of thick GFRP plates by assessing the real energy absorbed within the material

Active thermography is a well suited non-destructive testing method for the challenging inspection of wind rotor blades. Since the GFRP structures are up to some centimetres thick, long pulse heating is required to provide an appropriate energy input into the structure. So far, no best practice exists to guarantee a reliable detection of deep-lying flaws. In this work, a step wedge specimen having a maximum thickness of 34 mm is systematically investigated by experiment and well-matched simulations to assess the influence of the experimental parameters, like the absorbed energy, on thermal contrasts. Finally, a scheme to conduct full-scale test of a wind rotor blade in less than three hours is proposed.