Many structural components made of composite materials need an accurate thickness control during fabrication and/or maintenance. In this regard, various non-destructive techniques can be used for the online measuring of thickness of large components such as wings and fuselage in the aerospace industry. In this work, the capabilities of lock-in thermography technique in thickness measurement of glass fiber reinforced plastic material were investigated and a correct procedure has been proposed to ensure the best measurement accuracy. An analytical approach and several tests were carried out on a sample specimen with the aim to study the main test parameters. Finally, the limits of technique have been discussed.
Keywords: composites; glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP); lock-in thermography; non-destructive testing; thickness.