Building Thermography: Detection of Delamination of Adhered Ceramic Claddings Using the Passive Approach

Tile detachment is a common durability problem of adhered ceramic claddings causing safety risks. Passive infrared thermography using solar heat gain can be used to detect delamination leading to detachment, and is advantageous especially in the inspection of middle to high-rise buildings envelope although it is qualitative by nature. In this paper, findings of in situ thermographic inspections are comparatively analysed with findings of tapping control and surface moisture measurement, and with findings of thermal simulations to evaluate their efficiency. Comparative analyses showed that passive thermography can be used as a preliminary inspection technique to detect delamination and decide whether further inspection with advanced methods is required to implement maintenance operations.