Use of Thermography for the Analysis of Strength Properties of Mini-Specimens

Abstract

This paper presents sample applications of passive infrared thermography for research on temperature changes of mini-specimens resulting from monotonously increasing or cyclically variable mechanical load. The MFS system developed in the Department of Machine Design at the University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz (Poland) and designed for testing mechanical properties of microelements were used for tests. The MFS system ensures nanometric measurement accuracy of many static and fatigue-related material properties, including, i.a., static tension curves, cyclic strain curves, fatigue life curves as a function of force, stress and strain. Measurements of the mini-specimens temperature were performed using thermographic camera equipped with microscope lens. The tests have shown that research on the passive infrared thermography may be successfully applied for determining strength properties of materials in micro scale. The used research instrumentation is characterized by sufficient sensitivity and resolution (camera with the microscope lens), while the MFS system ensures accurate load and position control.