Investigation on a laser-assisted radiation thermometry technique.

A laser-assisted radiation thermometry (LART) technique is proposed for the surface temperature measurement of objects at high temperatures, which obviates the need for the knowledge of specimen emissivity. It uses a modulated laser to excite a temperature rise at the specimen surface, which is remotely sensed through thermal radiation detection at two infrared wavelengths. The theoretical analysis indicates that the surface temperature of the specimen can be inferred from the detected signals, independently of specimen emissivity. Measurements were performed on an oxidized Inconel 600 sample over a temperature range of 1120-1265 K. Measured surface temperatures were compared with those deduced from thermocouple measurements made inside the sample, and indicated less than 3% differences between them for sample surface temperatures above 1200 K.