Progress and Trends in Non-destructive Testing for Thermal Barrier Coatings Based on Infrared Thermography: A Review

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), as effective thermal protection separating the substrate from high-temperature combustion gases and reducing the substrate temperature, are widely used in aerospace and other fields. During the service cycle of life, surface crack defects, interface disbond defects, and coating thickness changes are the main non-destructive testing (NDT) objects of TBCs. In this paper, the main active infrared thermography NDT techniques including the optical infrared thermography testing, the ultrasonic infrared thermography testing, and the microwave thermography testing techniques are reviewed. Through the summary and highlight of the detection principle and application status of these state-of-the-art techniques, the development of the active infrared thermography DNT technique in TBCs is presented. By comparing the sensitivity, advantages, and disadvantages of the techniques in TBC NDT, can provide a significant reference for researchers to choose an appropriate method. It is noteworthy that fabrication techniques of artificial defects for calibration of the active infrared thermography NDT technique inspection of TBC systems are also reviewed. Moreover, future trends in NDT for the TBC system based on the active infrared thermography NDT technique are also discussed and analyzed.