Method for determining contamination of material using Mid-IR spectroscopy

1. A method of determining contamination on a coating or a non-metallic material having suspected contamination, comprising:

irradiating a reference coating or a non-metallic material with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths using a spectrometer;

detecting first infrared energy reflected from said reference coating or non-metallic material over said spectrum of wavelengths;

irradiating said coating or non-metallic material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths using the spectrometer or another spectrometer, said reference coating or non-metallic material being associated with said coating or non-metallic material having suspected contamination;

detecting second infrared energy reflected from said coating or non-metallic material having suspected contamination over said spectrum of wavelengths;

performing multivariate analysis on said first and second reflected infrared energy;

comparing results of said multivariate analysis with calibration information for infrared energy spectra comprising said spectrum of wavelengths associated with said reference coating or non-metallic material; and

determining presence or absence of contamination on said material having suspected contamination based on said calibration information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said material comprises an organic material.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a substrate and wherein said material having suspected contamination comprises a coating on said substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said substrate comprises a metallic substrate.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said substrate comprises a non-metallic substrate.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said coating comprises a bonding primer on said substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining presence or absence of contamination on said material having suspected contamination comprises determining presence or absence of silicon contamination on said material having suspected contamination.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said irradiating said material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths comprises irradiating said material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths using a hand-held IR spectrometer.

9. A method of determining contamination on a coating or a non-metallic material having suspected contamination, comprising:

irradiating said coating or non-metallic material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths;

detecting said infrared energy reflected from said coating or a non-metallic material having suspected contamination over said spectrum of wavelengths;

performing multivariate analysis on the spectrum of said reflected infrared energy;

comparing results of said multivariate analysis with calibration information for infrared energy spectra comprising said spectrum of wavelengths associated with a reference material; and

determining presence or absence of contamination on said material having suspected contamination based on said calibration information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said material comprises an organic material.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising a substrate and wherein said material having suspected contamination comprises a coating on said substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said substrate comprises a metallic substrate.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said substrate comprises a non-metallic substrate.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said coating comprises a bonding primer on said substrate.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein said determining presence or absence of contamination on said material having suspected contamination comprises determining presence or absence of silicon contamination on said material having suspected contamination.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said irradiating said material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths comprises irradiating said material having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths using a hand-held IR spectrometer.

17. A method of determining contamination on a material coating having suspected contamination on a substrate, comprising:

irradiating said material coating having suspected contamination with infrared energy over a spectrum of wavelengths;

detecting said infrared energy reflected from said material coating having suspected contamination over said spectrum of wavelengths;

performing multivariate analysis on the spectrum of said reflected infrared energy;

comparing results of said multivariate analysis with a predetermined calibration of infrared energy spectra comprising said spectrum of wavelengths collected from at least one reference material coating; and,

determining presence or absence of contamination on said material coating having suspected contamination based on said predetermined calibration using a hand-held infrared spectrometer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said substrate comprises a metallic substrate.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said substrate comprises a non-metallic substrate.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said coating comprises a bonding primer on said substrate and said determining presence or absence of contamination on said material having suspected contamination comprises determining presence or absence of silicon contamination on said bonding primer.