Heat losses and thermal imaging of ferroic components

A study is made of spatial and temporal temperature variations in working devices based on ferroic functional materials. The measurement of the sample's temperature is complemented with direct observation of its distribution over the sample surface. For the latter purpose a thermovision infrared videocamera technique was employed. Specific features of the temperature distribution and its evolution during heating and cooling of a number of piezoelectric, acoustooptic and shape memory components are revealed. Examples of hot spot observations indicative of structural defects in the samples under study are given thus suggesting the use of thermal vision for nondestructive testing. A proposal is made to combine the thermovision method with that of thermomagnetic analysis for the study of ferromagnetic shape memory alloys.