Abstract
This work investigates solar loading thermography applications using active thermography algorithms. It is shown that active thermography methods, such as step-heating thermography, present good correlation with a solar loading setup. Solar loading thermography is an approach that has recently gained scientific attention and is advantageous because it is particularly easy to set up and can measure large-scale objects, as the sun is the primary heat source. This work also introduces the concept of using a pyranometer as a reference for the evaluation algorithms by providing a direct solar irradiance measurement. Furthermore, a recently introduced method of estimating thermal effusivity is evaluated on ambient-derived thermograms.
Highlights
Solar loading thermography has gained recent scientific attention [1,2,3,4] and shows the potential to become a proven non-destructive testing (NDT) method for large-scale outdoor structures and infrastructure
It is shown that active thermography methods, such as step-heating thermography, present good correlation with a solar loading setup
As natural heat sources are inherently erratic, evaluation algorithms must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
Summary
Solar loading thermography has gained recent scientific attention [1,2,3,4] and shows the potential to become a proven non-destructive testing (NDT) method for large-scale outdoor structures and infrastructure. The range of evaluation algorithms discussed in this work is constrained to conventional active thermography approaches, namely, lock-in thermography (LIT) [5], step-heating thermography (SHT) [6] and linear effusivity fit (LEF) [7]. Each of these may be used to determine thermal material properties, in this case, the thermal effusivity of an excited object. We propose an alternative approach using a pyranometer to measure the insolation (solar irradiance) directly This allows the experimenter to directly assess the irradiation shape and amplitude at each point in time, which, in turn, allows the creation of analogies to conventional, laboratory-scale active thermography methods
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