Infrared thermography (IRT) is a powerful non contact imaging technique, appropriate for the protection of cultural heritage. The National Technical University of Athens research team (scientist responsible: A. Moropoulou), started to use this technique in the early 1990s, in all stages of a conservation project, from decay diagnosis to assessment of conservation interventions and monitoring. The monuments investigated with the aid of this technique belonged to different historical periods, dating from antiquity to modern times. The main products of IRT, thermal maps of surfaces, were evaluated and exploited, based on the demands, special needs and requirements of each application. Additionally, in laboratory scale, many IRT measurements were performed in order to investigate the applicability and limitations of this technique for measuring a material's thermophysical properties. All these data and accumulated knowledge and experience contributed to a set of recommendations, which enabled us to compile a protocol for the application of this technique in a more standardized way. Moreover, the added value of this practice permitted the successful application and integration of this technique in large-scale conservation projects, such as the Pythian Apollo Temple in Acropolis of Rhodes, during the diagnostic study phase, or at the Holy Aedicule, of the Holy Selphuchre in Jerusalem, during the rehabilitation works.
In this work, a multi-disciplinary approach regarding diagnostic study processes is presented, using as an example the Catholicon of Kaisariani Monastery in Attica, Greece. Kaisariani Monastery is considered one of the most important Byzantine architectural complexes in Greece. The Catholicon of Kaisariani Monastery was built during the middle Byzantine period, and has undergone many reconstructions during the centuries. It is a semi-complex, four-columned, cross-in-square church, with a cloisonné masonry. The suggested diagnostic processes included the creation of multidisciplinary thematic maps in Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment, which incorporated: (a) data of historical and architectural documentation; (b) data of geometric documentation; and (c) data of building materials characterization and decay diagnosis. The historical and general architectural data were acquired by thorough bibliographical/archival research. Geometric documentation data were acquired by three-dimensional (3D) laser scanner for the creation of the Catholicon section drawings, whereas image based photogrammetric techniques were utilized for the creation of a 3D textured model, from which orthoimages and architectural drawings of the Catholicon façades were developed. In parallel, characterization of building materials and identification of decay patterns took place after the onsite application of the nondestructive techniques of digital microscopy, infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar. These vast array kinds of data were elaborated and integrated into the architectural drawings, developing thematic maps that record and represent the current preservation state of the monument, a concerning major construction phases, the most important conservation intervention projects, building materials and decay. Furthermore, data quantification regarding the extent of building materials and decay at each monument’s façade took place. Therefore, correlation and better understanding of the environmental impact on building materials according to façade orientation and historical data, e.g., construction phases, was accomplished. In conclusion, the presented processes are multidisciplinary tasks that require collaboration among architects, surveyor engineers and materials scientists/engineers. They are also prerequisites for the planning and application of compatible and efficient conservation/restoration interventions, for the ultimate goal of the sustainable protection of a monument.
This paper examines a novel approach of corrosion damage analysis based on image processing for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of degradation effects on stone surfaces. This methodology can be applied in situ in association with a variety of nondestructive monitoring schemes, and on images acquired from several imaging modalities, capturing from micro-to macro-scale characteristics. Our analysis methodology was evaluated on three non-destructive monitoring techniques of cleaned and not cleaned stone surfaces, namely on digital camera, reflectography and fiber optic microscope images. Further to validating the potential of the various imaging modalities, the paper also assesses the corrosion rate and the efficiency of the recruited cleaning methods. The derived results are in accordance with chemical analyses revealing the deterioration patterns of the studied surfaces. r
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