Framework for the Detection, Diagnosis, and Evaluation of Thermal Bridges Using Infrared Thermography and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Ficapal Ficapal,Mutis Mutis

doi:10.3390/buildings9080179

Abstract

The glass curtain wall system is an architectural, functional innovation where failures of insulation systems create areas of reduced resistance to heat transfer—thermal bridges—during a building’s operational lifetime. These failures enable energy flows that trigger unanticipated temperature changes and increased energy consumption, ultimately damaging the façade structure and directly impacting occupants. Our study aims to design and test an innovative method for rapidly identifying thermal bridges in façade systems, with minimum or no occupant disturbance. The research focus is in the classification of damage as either a local failure or as being related to a poor systematic construction/assembly. A nontraditional approach is adopted to survey an entire fully operational building using infrared thermography and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using a noncontact infrared camera mounted on and operated from the UAV. The system records the emissivity of the façade materials and calculates the thermal radiation to estimate localized temperatures. The system records thermal radiation readings which are analyzed using graphs to be compared with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards, under ideal conditions using the THERM software. The results enable discussion relating to the most common failure areas for existing structures, facilitating the identification of focus areas for the improvement of construction methods through improved processes.

Highlights

The curtain wall system is a building enclosure technique comprising several crystal panels assembled to bear its own weight and resist exterior loads such as wind or rain [1]
The most common curtain wall structural components are made of aluminum, single floor span, and are supported by the main structure [2]
Thermal bridges are most commonly located on the interface between the glass and metal panels or between different crystal panels where the sealant is placed [4]

Summary

Introduction

The curtain wall system is a building enclosure technique comprising several crystal panels assembled to bear its own weight and resist exterior loads such as wind or rain [1]. A metal-exterior curtain wall is formed by vertical and horizontal exterior structures, crystal panels, and sealant finishing. The first appearance of a glass wall system was in the Crystal Palace project, built in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 [1]. It was built in a cast iron and plate glass systems. Experiments showed that a horizontally windowed room had eight times more illumination than the same room lit by vertical windows with the same window area He suggested a design for a free façade, projecting the floor beyond the supporting pillars, like a cantilever beam all around the building, so that the windows may extend at will. A window could be as much as 10 meters long for a dwelling house of 200 meters

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion