Automated data-processing technique: 2D Map for identifying the distribution of the U-value in building elements by quantitative internal thermography

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Blanca Tejedor (Author) Other; Eva Barreira (Author) FEUP; Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida (Author) Other; Miquel Casals (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Automation in Construction

Vol. 122

Pages: 1-14

ISSN: 0926-5805

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 1 Citation

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-592

DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103478

Abstract (EN): Computing a 2D colour map of average U-values pixel-by-pixel could become a challenging task in terms of complexity and time, especially for entire facades under the influence of anomalies. In a quantitative IRT test, a thermal image with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels involves 76,800 elements with different TWALL for each instant "t". This research aims to create a thermographic 2D U-value map for the characterization of heavy walls in a stationary regime. The method was divided into three steps: (i) metrology; (ii) assessment of how mesh discretization affects the image quality by MATLAB; (iii) development of a 2D map by SURFER. The results demonstrated that all 2D maps were a great reproduction of the original image, considering as optimum a TWALL mesh comprised of 1600 elements of 8 x 6 pixels. The automated data-processing method only took 20 min and image quality losses were estimated at 6.65%.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14