Investigation of the effect of microclimatic environment in historical buildings via infrared thermography

Abstract

In the reintegration applications of the destroyed blocks in stone monuments, the compatibility of the petrographic and engineering properties of the material selected for restoration with the original building stones provides benefits in the sustainable preservation of the structures. Infrared thermography can be an important tool in evaluating this compatibility. To this end, the restoration stones and original blocks (pyroclastic and travertine) used in Kuruçeşme Han in the city of Konya (Turkey) were examined in situ (infrared thermography, deep moisture meter, and ambient temperature meter) and in the laboratory (petrographic, index-mechanical, and thermal test) environment. To model the atmospheric events of the building stones in laboratory studies, monitoring of the capillary water rise, determination of the cooling process, and monitoring of the drying process of the saturated tests were carried out through infrared thermography. According to the results obtained from the study, it was determined that deteriorations developed due to different thermal behavior both between the pyroclastic and travertine blocks of the monument and between the restoration and the original building stones (pyroclastic and travertine). In addition, it is thought that determining the thermal behavior is very important in the selection of building stones in restoration applications.