Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Thermography
Semih Gonen1, Burak Tonga2, F.Necati Catbas1,3*
1
Abstract
Structural systems can be assessed at the global as well as at the local level. One of the non-destructive
evaluation methods that can help assess structural elements and systems is infrared thermography (IRT)
particularly for concrete structures. Infrared cameras measure electromagnetic radiation in the IR spectrum,
where the emitted radiation is in long wave-length light. For the implementation of the infrared thermography,
the emitted radiation is proportional to T4 and the emissivity of a material determines how much radiated power
for a given temperature. Infrared thermography can be used to detect concrete delamination under concrete
surfaces. In this paper, first, a review of the IRT technology and the state-of-the-practice are presented. Next,
some of potential implementations are discussed along with the possible data analysis methodologies to detect
variations in the IRT scans indicating structural defects. Finally, a number of demonstration studies are presented
for old stone built structures as well as reinforced concrete and stone retaining walls. Results, interpretations as
well as special considerations such as the selection of the IRT implementation time during the solar
heating/cooling cycle, scan distance, data analysis methods are presented along with the results obtained from
the IRT are presented. The results indicate that the delamination, structural defects, wall voids, humidity behind
retaining walls and structural temperature distribution can be observed or predicted.
Keywords: inspection, non-destructive evaluation, historical constructions, image infrared thermography
1 Introduction
All of the structures deteriorate with time without an exception. Deterioration can be due to aging of the
materials, excessive use, overloading, climatic conditions, lack of maintenance and such (National Science
Foundation [NSF], 1992). Consequently, condition assessment of the deteriorated structure is necessary in order
to validate its safety and reliability. Overall condition of the entire system should be inspected by means of a
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thorough inspection program that includes measuring the structural characteristics in situ and assessing the
service condition precisely. The inspection costs are to be kept low while inspection requires minimum
specialized training. Non-destructive evaluation can help achieving these objectives in global and local condition
assessment (Rens et al., 1997). Although the assessment is traditionally done by visual inspection and simple
procedures such as tap test, the invisible defect and damage inside the structure are often difficult to identify.
Non-Destructive Evaluation/Testing (NDE/NDT) techniques are usually far more convenient and cost-effective
than destructive techniques in evaluating the safety of the structures (Chang and Liu, 2003). Furthermore, nondestructive testing (NDT) can complement visual inspection or destructive testing when a direct physical
measurement strategy is either inadequate or too expensive, and when extension of the limited physical
investigation is required. There are many NDT techniques available in industry and in research laboratories but
only a number of them are practically applicable to civil engineering use. There are techniques such as infrared
thermography, acoustic emission, vibration signatures, ultrasonic and magnetic methods, and they are based on
different theoretical principles, producing different sets of information related to the properties of the structure.
In the interpretation of these properties, some assumptions about the structure have to be made and previously
gathered information should be evaluated in conjunction with the structure properties, condition and its
engineering properties (McCann and Forde, 2001).
The importance of carrying out NDE in situ for different kinds of structures has been highlighted by many
authors. Particularly for masonry structures, NDE can be used for several purposes such as (i) detection of
hidden structural elements like arches, piers etc. in the walls, (ii) mapping of non-homogeneity in the masonry,
(iii) qualification of masonry, (iv) interpretation of moisture content and capillary rise, (v) detecting surface
decay, (vi) qualitative evaluation of the extent of mechanic damage, (vii) interpretation of the mechanical and
physical properties of masonry elements. Presently, significant portion of the NDE procedures give only
qualitative results; therefore it is required to evaluate the results and use them at least as comparative values
between different parts of the same masonry structure or by using different NDE techniques (Binda, 2000). It
should also be stated that in spite of the availability of vast knowledge on NDT techniques and their application
on civil engineering structures, there are no clearly defined standards for NDT methods available for use in
structure testing.
The main objective of this study is to provide brief review of the infrared thermography technology and its
various fields of implementation in civil engineering. Therefore, the IRT technology is reviewed first to shortly
explain its working principles while the information on camera technology and availability of various cameras
are mentioned. Then, a review of different implementations i.e. state-of-the-practice based on the structure
description, camera specifications, type of the IRT test, methods used etc. is given to provide various aspects of
usage and key information to the reader. Once the review is examined, it is seen that applications of IRT on civil
engineering structures comprise detecting the variations in IRT scans indicating structural defects and it mostly
focuses on reinforced concrete structures, particularly on civil infrastructures such as bridges. Being no less
important than civil infrastructures for the community, heritage structures are often the landmarks, possessing
spectacular beauty and cultural importance. Thus, their safety is of utmost priority for preservation of cultural
heritage and providing public well-being. A driver for this research study was in fact a recent failure of an old
and historic retaining wall structure between historic royal palace and a park. While there are a number of
monitoring technologies to track such structures, IRT can also be utilized for local defects. Since the information
on the use of infrared thermography for historical and masonry constructions is limited, this paper also aims to
contribute to the literature by discussing potential implementations and giving different examples of case studies.
Figure 1. Hamlin Hall building thermal image (left) and visible light image (right)
= =
!!
!
In this equation, h represents Plancks constant with the value of h=6.626x10-34 J and also v is frequency, c is
speed of light, and is wavelength. Since the energy of photon is conserved, v has a constant value, however, the
value of c and depend on the environment which they are going through (Kylili et al., 2014). In Figure 2, we
can see the electromagnetic spectrum which is from high to the small wavelength values.
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FLIR E5
Uncooled micro bolometer
<0.10C
2C or 2%
120x90 pixels
7.5-13 m
9 Hz
45 x 34
FLIR InfraCAM
Uncooled micro bolometer
0.12C
2C or 2%
120 x 120 pixels
7.5-13 m
9 Hz
25 x 25
IRT consist of two methods as active and passive. Active IRT is chosen when thermal equilibrium exists. IRT
methods need a heating source in order to investigate heating and cooling periods of the material and when there
is no natural heating source, it is possible to use an external, artificial heating source, and this method is called
active IRT. Passive IRT is used when natural heating source which is the sun already breaks thermal equilibrium
around the test material. Passive IRT method is so efficient to use in order to evaluate the structural integrity.
Also for many years, it has been used to detect moisture on historical structures (Theodorakeas, 2015). On
historical structures, it is important to detect water leakage, moisture, delamination on plasters and frescos for
timely repair and restoration before any major damage.
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Table 2. Literature Review
Work
Investigated
Structure
Active / Passive
Thermography
Hiasa et al.(a),
2016
Laboratory specimens
and RC wall structure
on field
3 cameras;
FLIR T420: uncooled micro bolometer, 320x240
pixels, 60 Hz frame rate, NETD of <0.045 at 30C
FLIR T640: uncooled micro bolometer, 640x480
pixels, 30 Hz frame rate, NETD of <0.035 at 30C
FLIR SC5600: InSb, 640x512 pixels, 100 Hz frame
rate, NETD of <0.02 at 30C
Hiasa et al.(b),
2016
Specimens on site,
scanned with a vehiclemounted system
dynamically at 50 km/h
speed
Passive
3 cameras;
FLIR T420: uncooled micro bolometer, 320x240
pixels, 60 Hz frame rate, NETD of <0.045 at 30C
FLIR T640: uncooled micro bolometer, 640x480
pixels, 30 Hz frame rate, NETD of <0.035 at 30C
FLIR SC5600: InSb, 640x512 pixels, 100 Hz frame
rate, NETD of <0.02 at 30C
Passive
1 camera
FLIR S65: uncooled micro bolometer, 320x240
pixels, 60 Hz frame rate
White et al.,
2015
Pre-stressed concrete
girder deck in
laboratory
N/A
1 camera, FLIR
Khan et al.,
2015
Laboratory specimens
to simulate bridge parts
Active
Mock-up of a masonry
arch bridge in the
laboratory and a real
one on field
13th Century mosque
from Seljuk Period
Passive
Passive
Avdelidis &
Moropoulou,
2004
Historic building in
Athens, Medieval
masonry wall in
Rhodes, fortification
masonry in Crete, Hagia
Sophia dome in Istanbul
Maierhofer et al.,
2015
Laboratory samples,
plaster scratches at
Magdeburg Cathedral
and mural painting in
Cobbelsdorf
Arndt et al.,
2015
Passive
Kandemir-Yucel
et al., 2007
4 Case Studies
4.1 Albert Long Hall Building
Albert Long Hall was designed by architect Albert Dwight Foster Hamlin and constructed as a part of Roberts
College in 1862. The building is composed of masonry walls, rubble masonry and denser cut stones at the
corners with mortar, includes some complex geometry like arches and vaults, and timber floors and roof. It has
been in use as a part of Bogazici University since 1971 and it hosts many cultural events, primarily classical
music concerts (Bogazici Universitesi website, 2016).
Figure 3. Albert Long Hall building thermal image (left) and visible light image (right)
Thermal image of Albert Long Hall was taken in the morning, around 10 AM. and when the outside temperature
was 17 C, in order to have a general idea about temperature distribution over the building. FLIR E5 infrared
camera, which is capable of taking infrared and visible light images, was utilized. For evaluation of the thermal
image, FLIR Tools image processing software was used. As a result, it is seen that the image quality is directly
affected by the cameras resolution; the smaller the resolution closer the camera should be placed. In addition, it
can be noticed that the highest temperature demonstration on the image is on the roof of the structure due to the
effect of direct sunlight. Also, as a result of having less porous corner stones, the temperature changes more
slowly and they remain colder in the morning.
Figure 4. Masonry Retaining Wall thermal image (left) and visible light image (right)
The image was taken with FLIR E5 infrared camera around 10:50 AM, when outside temperature was 17 C.
Raw images were interpreted visually using engineering judgment. As it can be noticed from the thermal image,
drainage outlets can easily be seen with the help of temperature difference on those spots. Parallel with the
working principle of infrared thermography, those spots had lower temperature in the morning, when compared
to the masonry around. The effect of rain which happened one day before taking the image can be realized by the
water gathered at the bottom of the wall, causing lower temperature. On the other hand, the visible light image
enables to prove the locations of drainage outlets and vegetation on the wall. Also, even though the masonry is
irregular and the wall does not look monolithic at all, thermal distribution indicates otherwise.
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Figure 5. R/C Retaining Wall thermal image (left) and visible light image (right)
5 Conclusions
IRT is a method which measures heat radiation emitted from the investigated material and shows the surface of
the material as a colored thermal image in terms of the temperature distribution. The method is advantageous
with regards to its features of fast data acquisition, high sensitivity, and no requirement for contact as well as
portability and usability during day and night although it requires a high initial cost and thermal heating. In this
study, a brief review of the infrared thermography technology and its various fields of implementation in civil
engineering was presented. The IRT technology was shortly reviewed in terms of its working principles and
different implementations based on the structure description, camera specifications, type of the IRT test, methods
used etc. to provide various types of use, findings and key information to the reader. In addition, potential
implementations with case studies were discussed with the aim of contributing to the literature since the use of
IRT for historical and masonry constructions is somewhat limited in the literature. Three different case studies
were presented; a large masonry building structure and two retaining walls; one is RC and the other is masonry.
Findings indicate that IRT can detect delamination on the surface of the structure and the voids in the structures
medium in a fast and efficient manner. Also, it is possible to detect damp zones which can lead to realization of
the presence of water behind the retaining walls or to determine whether the drainage outlets work properly or
not. This information can be very valuable for the safety assessment of old and historic masonry retaining walls.
Furthermore, the IRT helps the user to observe different materials in the structure with complex geometry. The
effectiveness of IRT can be increased by employing more sophisticated testing such as use of more advanced
image processing methods, more precise timing, use of better cameras and use of complementary technology
such as sonic methods. Nonetheless, it is evident that IRT could be considered as a valuable NDE tool. The
authors will include some of these recommended testing and image processing in their future work.
6 Acknowledgements
The study presented here is supported through a fellowship by The Scientific and Technological Research
Council of Turkey (Trkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu - TUBITAK). The authors would like to
thank Assoc Prof. Serdar Soyz of Bogazici University for his insightful discussions and feedback on structural
health monitoring research and this study. In addition, the authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Gkhan Baykal
(Bogazici University) and Assist. Prof. Muammer zbek (Istanbul Bilgi University) for providing infrared
thermal cameras for the research presented in this paper. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude
for these agencies, responsible administrators, other graduate students in the senior authors research group. The
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