Abstract:
This paper concerns the development of methodology for use of Infrared thermography
(IRT) for online prediction of mechanical structural vibration behaviour; given that it has extensively
been applied in non-destructive technique for evaluation of surface cracks through the observation
of thermal imaging of the vibration-induced crack heat generation. To achieve this, AISI 304
steel cantilever beam coupled with a slipping friction rod was subjected to a forced excitations with
an infrared camera capturing the thermal profile at the friction interface. The analysis of thermal
image data recorded (radiometric) for the frictional temperature time domain waveform using a
MATLAB FFT algorithm in conjunction to IR camera frequency resolution of 120 Hz and the
use of the heat conduction equation with the help of a finite difference approach successfully identified
the structural vibration characteristics in terms of frequency and displacement, the maximum
relative errors being 0.09% and 5.85% for frequencies and displacements, respectively. These
findings are particularly useful in overcoming many limitations inherent in some of the current
vibration measuring techniques in harsh and remote environments.
