Review Infrared thermography for condition monitoring – A review S. Bagavathiappan, B.B. Lahiri, T. Saravanan, John Philip ⇑ , T. Jayakumar Radiography & Thermography Section (RTS), Non-Destructive Evaluation Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, Tamil Nadu, India highlights  Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-contact condition monitoring (CM) tool.  We review the advances of IRT for CM of machineries, equipment and processes.  Applications in various industries are covered in this critical review.  Basics of IRT, experimental procedures and data analysis techniques are reviewed.  Sufficient background information for the beginners and non-experts are provided. article info Article history: Received 2 January 2013 Available online 24 March 2013 Keywords: Infrared thermography Condition monitoring Preventive maintenance Deformation monitoring Thermal anomaly Quality assurance abstract Temperature is one of the most common indicators of the structural health of equipment and compo- nents. Faulty machineries, corroded electrical connections, damaged material components, etc., can cause abnormal temperature distribution. By now, infrared thermography (IRT) has become a matured and widely accepted condition monitoring tool where the temperature is measured in real time in a non-con- tact manner. IRT enables early detection of equipment flaws and faulty industrial processes under oper- ating condition thereby, reducing system down time, catastrophic breakdown and maintenance cost. Last three decades witnessed a steady growth in the use of IRT as a condition monitoring technique in civil structures, electrical installations, machineries and equipment, material deformation under various load- ing conditions, corrosion damages and welding processes. IRT has also found its application in nuclear, aerospace, food, paper, wood and plastic industries. With the advent of newer generations of infrared camera, IRT is becoming a more accurate, reliable and cost effective technique. This review focuses on the advances of IRT as a non-contact and non-invasive condition monitoring tool for machineries, equip- ment and processes. Various conditions monitoring applications are discussed in details, along with some basics of IRT, experimental procedures and data analysis techniques. Sufficient background information is also provided for the beginners and non-experts for easy understanding of the subject. Ó 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 36 2. Background of IRT and infrared cameras ................................................................................... 36 3. Experimental methodologies for IRT based condition monitoring ............................................................... 38 4. Data analysis methods for IRT based condition monitoring applications .......................................................... 39 5. Applications of IRT in condition monitoring................................................................................. 41 5.1. Monitoring of civil structures ....................................................................................... 41 5.2. Monitoring of electrical and electronic components ..................................................................... 43 5.3. Deformation monitoring ........................................................................................... 45 5.4. Inspection of machineries .......................................................................................... 46 5.5. Corrosion monitoring ............................................................................................. 48 5.6. Weld monitoring ................................................................................................. 48 5.7. Application of IRT in nuclear industries............................................................................... 48 1350-4495/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.infrared.2013.03.006 ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Head, Smart Materials Section, Radiography & Thermography Section, Non-Destructive Evaluation Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel.: +91 044 27480500x26447; fax: +91 044 27480356. E-mail address: philip@igcar.gov.in (J. Philip). Infrared Physics & Technology 60 (2013) 35–55 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Infrared Physics & Technology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/infrared