Thermobot: towards Semi-Autonomous, Thermographic Detection of Cracks

The detection of cracks in parts of complex geometry requires a cumbersome process based on “magnetic particle inspection”. This includes the application and removal of liquids and is difficult to automate. In this paper a semi-autonomous system for crack detection is proposed that uses a robot to move a part in front of a thermographic image acquisition system. At the heart of the inspection system is a laser combined with a thermocamera that will provide image information to enable the robust detection of cracks on or near the surface. The analysis of the heat flow will reveal any inhomogeneities such as cracks in the part. This is combined with automatic path planning for the robot to enable the inspection of complex parts. The system concept is presented and details about the various system components are explained.