Infrared Thermography Detection of Flex Cracks in Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs)

Among the hidden defects that infect multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are flex cracks, which are not recognized in production but can cause significant problems when using. Therefore, it is important to find possibilities to detect these defects before delivering electronic equipment. In this work, a numerical simulations has been developed using a numerical computation software based on 3D finite element method, to detect the presence of flex cracks in the layers of the MLCCs by pulsed infrared thermography, the results obtained show that this technique can detect oblique cracks and horizontal cracks, the thermal signals of the latter are more perceptible than those of oblique cracks. The results obtained by this test were compared with other results obtained using the non-destructive testing by acoustic emission.