An internal defect detection system for a three-dimensional additive manufacturing device which performs additive molding by emitting a laser beam to a powder bed is provided. This system specifies a candidate position of an internal defect on the basis of a change amount of a local temperature measured in an irradiated part of a powder bed irradiated by a laser beam. The system calculates a cooling speed at the candidate position on the basis of a temperature distribution and determines whether an internal defect exists on the basis of the cooling speed.

An internal defect detection system for a three-dimensional additive manufacturing device which performs additive molding by emitting a laser beam to a powder bed is provided. This system specifies a candidate position of an internal defect on the basis of a change amount of a local temperature measured in an irradiated part of a powder bed irradiated by a laser beam. The system calculates a cooling speed at the candidate position on the basis of a temperature distribution and determines whether an internal defect exists on the basis of the cooling speed.

A method for generating material test samples for conducting material tests of a legacy steam turbine rotor having an inter-blade region rotor surface, and an inlet region rotor surface adjoining the inter-blade region rotor surface. The method includes forming an annular ring of rotor material in the sample area and forming a material test sample from a portion of the annular ring. Also described is a legacy steam turbine rotor including an inter-blade region rotor surface, and an inlet region rotor surface adjoining the inter-blade region rotor surface. The steam turbine rotor having a groove formed therein, and wherein the groove is machined to enable removal of material from the steam turbine rotor to form samples configured to enable at least one of conducting material property tests and operating the improved legacy steam turbine rotor at an expanded thermal stress compared to the legacy steam turbine rotor.

A method for generating material test samples for conducting material tests of a legacy steam turbine rotor having an inter-blade region rotor surface, and an inlet region rotor surface adjoining the inter-blade region rotor surface. The method includes forming an annular ring of rotor material in the sample area and forming a material test sample from a portion of the annular ring. Also described is a legacy steam turbine rotor including an inter-blade region rotor surface, and an inlet region rotor surface adjoining the inter-blade region rotor surface. The steam turbine rotor having a groove formed therein, and wherein the groove is machined to enable removal of material from the steam turbine rotor to form samples configured to enable at least one of conducting material property tests and operating the improved legacy steam turbine rotor at an expanded thermal stress compared to the legacy steam turbine rotor.

A system and method to evaluate and/or classify non-destructive testing sensor data, the system and method including: a transmitter configured to provide energy to a material; one or more sensors configured to convert the energy returned from the material into sensor data; a receiver configured to receive sensor data; an attenuation inversion module configured to apply a mathematical transformation to the sensor data to provide transformed sensor data; an analysis module configured to process the transformed sensor data to provided processed sensor date, by: determining values from the transformed sensor data; applying mathematical transformations to the values to produce a set of single values that represent the sensor data; a classification module configured to classify the processed sensor data; and an output module configured to output the results of the classification.

An apparatus and method for inspecting articles incorporating positive temperature coefficient resistors. The inspection apparatus includes a computing device, a power source, a housing, a support, and a thermal imager, each mounted within an interior volume of the housing. The inspection method includes receiving a first thermal image of the unpowered article mounted within the support and receiving a second thermal image of the powered article after an optimized time delay. The method further includes outputting a health indication of the positive temperature coefficient resistors based on a comparison of the first thermal image and the second thermal image.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for determining thermal properties of materials by using frequency modulated pump light intensity to cyclically heat a sample, and using probe light to induce fluorescent signals from fluorescent indicators on the surface of the material during the cyclic 5 heating. The methods and systems utilize the phase delay between the frequency modulated pump light and the corresponding fluorescent signals to determine the thermal properties of the material at one or more locations on the material sample.

An infrared-detecting device, includes an infrared detector configured to emit a signal representative of the thermal radiation of a hotspot, and a light source configured to emit an incident beam, preferably in a window of UV or visible wavelength. The infrared-detecting device furthermore comprises a synchronizing device connected to the light source and to the infrared detector or to the processing module, and configured to emit a synchronization signal, the infrared detector being configured to be activated in a preset time window depending on said synchronization signal.

An infrared-detecting device, includes an infrared detector configured to emit a signal representative of the thermal radiation of a hotspot, and a light source configured to emit an incident beam, preferably in a window of UV or visible wavelength. The infrared-detecting device furthermore comprises a synchronizing device connected to the light source and to the infrared detector or to the processing module, and configured to emit a synchronization signal, the infrared detector being configured to be activated in a preset time window depending on said synchronization signal.

Disclosed is a weld portion inspection method using thermal image sensing, wherein the method includes heating the weld portion using Joule heat; and determining whether the weld portion is defective based on a temperature increase pattern of the weld portion by the heating.