Destructive testing is commonly used in a number of industries, including, for example military weapons testing and fire safety testing. Thermocouples are routinely used for temperature measurement, and are connected to telemetering equipment to transmit the data before the sensor is destroyed in the test. Infrared would be preferred for a number of these measurements because of speed, convenience, and non-contact capability, especially in measuring the radiant temperature. However, the cost, complexity, and general fragility of conventional IR systems have made such applications impractical and prohibitively expensive.

The IRt/c, however, is ideally suited for this type of service. Its compatibility with thermocouple telemetering devices, small size, ruggedness of construction, and overall reliability makes it an excellent replacement for standard thermocouples. At one-tenth the cost of most conventional IR devices, it is economical enough to be used in "disposable" applications.

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