HITCOMP is a Clean Sky2 Project (GA864713) for the “High Temperature Characterization and Modelling of Thermoplastic Composites”. This initiative belongs to Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and it is currently being developed with the combined efforts of the consortium comprised of Airbus Defense & Space, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Infrared Laboratory (LIR) of the University Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) and SENSIA Solutions. Under this framework HITCOMP aims to characterize the new thermoplastic composites based on PAEK resins when submitted to the combined action of fire or hot air and mechanical stress. This project will increase the knowhow about the structures used on the airplanes in case of fire on board.
SENSIA has just delivered its IR imaging-based solution for monitoring the thermal map of the thermoplastic specimens under test. This solution, designed, developed, and manufactured by SENSIA, consists of a dual-camera system to record both sides of the specimen during the different tests and the RedLook Analytics software for camera management and infrared image processing.
This dual camera system is a solution that combines the through-flame monitoring technology provided by SENSIA’s Calcifir RXf camera with the high-performance thermography delivered by SENSIA’s Rai camera. On the other side, RedLook Analytics application allows a synchronized operation and shows the real-time streaming of the SENSIA thermal cameras. Furthermore, it provides the most advanced infrared image processing tools for real-time analysis and for deep post-processing, and the possibility to provide a spatially correlated measurement of the temperature map of both faces of the specimen under test.
The solution was evaluated in a real test in Airbus Fire Laboratory during a fire test, and the results both in terms of performance and accuracy were completely successful.