| Sonic IR Imaging is an innovative technique used for detecting cracks in industrial, dental, and aerospace applications. It is based on the use of infrared imaging and ultrasonic energy. At the beginning, a short pulse of ultrasonic energy is applied to a material and causes its vibration. The vibration in turn causes the faces of the crack to rub and clap, later resulting in the production of heat which in turn, causes a temperature increase around the crack. The entire phenomenon is captured using an infrared camera and further analyzed with specialized software. The end-result is an image of the crack slowly blowing up and fading away, just like fireworks. This method of crack detection is highly superior to traditional methods used for this purpose, and this is why it is thought as a groundbreaking technology.; This technique, associated with the ultrasonic dental cleaner, is a revolutionary technique, as it is an adaptation of Sonic IR imaging to small and brittle objects. This would have been completely impossible or hard to realize with the big system, as the power is too high, of the order of 1000 Watts. Using the ultrasonic scaler with Sonic IR imaging allows for the use of low power, 30 Watts, and a driving frequency of 30 kHz, which makes it easier to look into detecting cracks on miniature samples. Here will be presented a miniature system applied to small objects, and a proposed best "transducer" depending on the shape of the sample studied. |
