Influence of detachment dimensions on the evaluation of ceramic tiles with infrared thermography

Abstract Infrared thermography is currently an important tool in building inspections, mainly in the identification and diagnosis of pathologies in mortar and ceramic coverings. In the case of the evaluation of ceramic tiles with infrared thermography, it appears many questions still remain regarding the behavior of Delta T, the main parameter used in the analysis of pathologies in thermograms, due to the influence of the type and dimensions of the pathological manifestations studied with this technique. This study evaluated the influence of the dimensions of the detachments of ceramic tiles in the thermographic evaluation. For this purpose, a masonry prototype with ceramic tile covering was built, where the presence of detachments was simulated, and then evaluated in an external environment in different solar orientations, during a four-day period in in three consecutive years. The results showed that the maximum values of Delta T in the thermographic inspection were obtained at the moments of maximum increase of the covering surface temperature in the four solar orientations. After the statistical analysis, it was concluded that differences in width and, consequently, in the defects’ area, are more probable to be detected, which facilitates the evaluation of the performance of facade systems using infrared thermography.