Review of InfraRed Thermography and Ground-Penetrating Radar Applications for Building Assessment

Abstract

The first appearance of concern for the good condition of a building dates back to ancient times. In recent years, with the emergence of new inspection technologies and the growing concern about climate change and people’s health, the concern about the integrity of building structures has been extended to their analysis as insulating envelopes. In addition, the growing network of historic buildings gives this sector special attention. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive review of the application of two of the most common and most successful Non-Destructive Techniques (NDTs) when inspecting a building: InfraRed Thermography (IRT) and Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR). To the best knowledge of the authors, it is the first time that a joint compilation of the state-of-the-art of both IRT and GPR for building evaluation is performed in the same work, with special emphasis on applications that integrate both technologies. The authors briefly explain the performance of each NDT, along with the individual and collective advantages of their uses in the building sector. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of the most relevant references is described, according to the building materials to be studied and the purpose to be achieved: structural safety, energy efficiency and well-being, and heritage preservation. Then, three different case studies are presented with the aim of illustrating the potential of the combined use of IRT and GPR in the evaluation of buildings for the purposes defined. Last, the final remarks and future lines are described on the application of these two interesting inspection technologies in the preservation and conservation of the building sector.

Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Structures with Magnetic Method and ACO (Amplitude-Correlation-Offset) Decomposition

“…The method can be helpful when the cover thickness is lower than 5 cm. The method is not commonly used in practice [ 3 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Methods based on terahertz frequencies (frequencies of the order of 10 11 Hz to 10 13 Hz).…”

“…The method can be helpful when the cover thickness is lower than 5 cm. The method is not commonly used in practice [ 3 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”

Integration of active thermography and ground penetrating radar for the detection and evaluation of delamination in concrete slabs

“…Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are widely used as the solution to evaluate different structures and monitor their health status without posing any harm to their integrity. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an electromagnetic technique that can reveal a variety of subsurface anomalies having a higher resolution compared to other geophysical methods [5]. These subsurface anomalies and targets are detectable by the GPR method, subject to having a good contrast in electromagnetic characteristics with their surrounding medium.…”

The Dangers of Analyzing Thermographic Radiometric Data as Images

“…For example, orthopedic and bone or joint trauma, hormonal imbalance, vascular diseases, burns healing and detection of ulcers are just some of the diverse ongoing and growing studied applications of thermography [4]. Furthermore, IRT is regularly used in civil engineering to assess the structural health and energy efficiency of buildings [5,6]. Furthermore, thermography is a popular method of evaluation of historic monuments constructed of stone, brick masonry, or reinforced cement concrete [7].…”