Weld Assessment using Infrared Thermography (WAIT)

Because of the lack of an efficient NDT technique that is able to evaluate high volume of welds in a production line, the welding and assembly industries still rely on the old destructive ways to inspect welds. These methods inspect only a very small fraction of welded parts and the latter are usually discarded along with a whole batch of parts where a faulty weld has been identified, making the method very costly to the industry. This project investigates application of Infrared Thermography to inspect resistance welds. Given the advantages of Infrared Thermography that are contactlessness and high speed, the project output will enable faster and automated weld inspection, leading to higher volume of inspected welds. It has therefore the potential of making significant cost savings to the industry and improving safety. NDTC will conduct investigations to find the best ways to apply thermography in order to identify critical weld defects.