Heat source selection for drone-based active-infrared thermography

Drone-based inspection system that can fly, hover, and navigate around structures to perform the inspection in an efficient /fast manner can considerably reduce inspection time. Active thermography is a well-known non-destructive testing method for inspection. However, using it on a drone is challenging due to the drone needing to carry an appropriate heat source, batteries or tethering system to power the heat source and to provide adequate flight time. This complicates the inspection process and can restrict the amount of thermal energy that can be applied to the inspected structure. Another challenge with drone-based active infrared thermography (DBAIT) is that, unlike traditional active thermography inspection in which, the source is either stationary or moving in a precisely controlled manner, the drone and the heat source are subjected to undesired dynamic motion. This paper presents the results of experiments performed to compare potential heat sources that can be retrofitted onboard a drone to conduct active thermographic inspection.