From Research to Reliability: Growing Up with IR - Paperback

Written by Robert P. Madding, 303 pages

Anyone at any level will benefit from Dr. Bob’s school of hard knocks. Whether you're an aspiring infrared thermographer or a long-term professional, Dr. Madding’s forty-plus years of technical and personal experiences will provide the information you need to excel. Dr. Madding is recognized internationally and has worked as an IR thermographer, trainer, conference chair and courseware developer. He has compiled the vast knowledge he has gained through his travels and on-the-job skills to create From Research to Reliability: Growing Up with Infrared Thermography.

From the author: This book is my technical autobiography, if you will. A friend and colleague once said I had a Ph.D. from SOHK. Reading this, I asked him what SOHK was. I had never heard of it. He replied, “School of Hard Knocks.” I’m not sure this is a degree to be proud of. And I’ve strived to give examples inside that will help keep you from getting such a degree. Learning from others’ “hard knocks” sure beats finding out on your own. These examples also show as technology and knowledge evolve, so can safe practices.

My first experience with IR thermography was airborne infrared imaging of heated water discharges from Wisconsin power plants. From my early airborne IR research, I grew up with IR technology over the years, focusing primarily on the upcoming condition monitoring technology using newly invented, commercially available IR cameras to improve reliability. IR thermographers are problem prospectors. We find thermal anomalies and report them.