Fatigue limit evaluation of metals using an infrared thermographic technique

The paper aims to illustrate three advantages of infrared thermography as a non-destructive, real-time and non-contact technique. It permits first observation of the physical processes of damage and failure in metals, and in particular, automotive components subjected to fatigue loading, second detection of the occurrence of intrinsic dissipation, and third evaluation of the fatigue strength in a very short time, compared to traditional testing techniques. In addition, infrared thermography readily describes the damage location and the evolution of structural failure. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.