Structural Assessment of the Orion P3 Wing Leading Edge Using a State-of-the-Art Thermal Imaging System

A state-of-the-art thermographic stress analysis system has been developed in the Aeronautical & Maritime Research Laboratory. The system is based on a focal-plane array infrared thermal imager and a real-time video image processor, and represents a major advancement from the current technology in this field. Its ability to make non-contact full-field measurement of stresses in a structure rapidly and with great resolution makes it an extremely powerful tool for structural analysis. In this paper, this system's capability is demonstrated in an application to the Orion P-3 wing leading edge. It is shown that over-simplification in modelling this apparently simple structure can lead to significant errors and illustrates the importance of model-validation using derail measurements such as those available under this new system.