The aim of the article is to present a new technique providing an increase in the reliability of standard destructive tests of light ballistic shields. During the ballistic impact (i.e., of projectiles or fragments) on the material and its penetration by these incoming items, the absorbed kinetic energy is transformed into heat. In particular, the material regions that are damaged generate heat, and around and above the damage, on particular areas of the surface of the sample, the temperature signal increases. While registering, thermal cameras can process the impact and penetration of a material by a projectile and can accurately determine the area of the material (around the point of impact and the area of penetration) that has been damaged. Two infrared cameras were used for our testing work. One recorded the changes to the temperature field on the surface with the ballistic impact and the second one on the opposite surface. These results were compared with those obtained by optical active thermography performed by the reflection approach. Selected results from all the tests are presented in this paper.
Keywords: IR thermography; composite material; non-destructive testing.