文摘
Detecting cracks in a nondestructive way is a challenge that has been addressed for decades but which is not completely solved yet. For the last years, infrared thermography has been the preferred photothermal technique to detect cracks, because of its capability to record surface temperature images. In this work, a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method has been developed to simulate the temperature evolution of an opaque sample with inner cracks characterized by their thermal contact resistance. DG methods are natural tools to tackle physical problems with discontinuous solutions where classical finite element methods fail. Discontinuous finite elements allow calculation of the surface temperature modification due to the presence of cracks of any size, shape, and thickness. Lock-in infrared thermography measurements, performed on calibrated vertical cracks in metallic samples, confirm the validity of the model.