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Terahertz Sensor for Non-Contact Thickness and Quality Measurement of Automobile Paints of Varying Complexity | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Terahertz Sensor for Non-Contact Thickness and Quality Measurement of Automobile Paints of Varying Complexity

Open Access

Abstract:

In this paper, we propose to use terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) as a novel tool to measure the thickness and quality of up to four layers of car paint on both metallic an...Show More

Abstract:

In this paper, we propose to use terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) as a novel tool to measure the thickness and quality of up to four layers of car paint on both metallic and non-metallic substrates. Using a rigorous one-dimensional electromagnetic model for terahertz propagation in a multi-layered medium combined with a numerical fitting method, the refractive index, extinction coefficient, and thickness of individual paint layers were determined. This proposed method was shown to be able to resolve coating layers down to a thickness of 18 μm and was validated for both single- and multi-layer automobile paint samples. Results of the terahertz measurements were benchmarked against other techniques that are currently used for non-destructive testing during car manufacture: ultrasound and eddy current measurements, as well as two reference techniques, X-ray microcomputed tomography and surface profilometry. Good consistency was found between the techniques. Compared to conventional techniques, TPI has the advantage that it is a non-contact method and that it is able to spatially resolve the thickness uniformity distribution information by two-dimensional mapping.
Published in: IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology ( Volume: 4, Issue: 4, July 2014)
Page(s): 432 - 439
Date of Publication: 06 June 2014

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