Resonance ultrasonic thermography: Highly efficient contact and air-coupled remote modes

A frequency match between the driving ultrasonic wave and characteristic frequency of a defect provides an efficient energy pumping from the wave directly into the defect. The application of the concept of local defect resonance is shown to enhance substantially the efficiency of vibro-thermal conversion in ultrasonic thermography (ULT). Therefore, the resonance modes of ultrasonic thermography require much lower acoustic power to activate defects that makes it possible to avoid high-power ultrasonic instrumentation and proceed to a remote ultrasonic thermography version by using air-coupled ultrasonic excitation.