Infrared thermography can be used through excitation by ultrasonic vibration of the material under inspection. This method, commonly referred to as vibrothermography, allows detecting small cracks often invisible to the naked eye, in the order of micrometers. See the Thermography Tutorial on the left for more information on ultrasound or vibro-thermography.

An ultrasound thermography setup typically includes:

- 1 sound source with an ultrasonic sonotrode
- 1 actuator that moves the sonotrode into contact with the sample under inspection
- 1 frame that supports the ultrasonic source and its actuator
- 1 sound source controller to control continuous/burst/lock-in sound signal
- 1 acquisition station (PC)
- 1 cooled infrared camera
- hearing protection headsets

Components are carefully selected depending on your needs. Visiooimage engineers help you selecting the right components with the right specifications and ensure that the bench setup will work with the materials to be tested.

Example of a typical ultrasound / vibro-thermography bench

Example of sonotrodes (Swiss-Sonic).