Passive thermographic inspection of adhered ceramic claddings: Limitation and conditioning factors

Adhered ceramic tiles are one of the most commonly used exterior cladding materials in Portugal. However, various durability problems are also noted by the researchers. A research study was therefore designed to identify in situ inspection techniques that can be used for detecting moisture-content increase and delamination problems of this type of cladding, and for this purpose 16 buildings in Lisbon were inspected by infrared (IR) thermography. In IR thermography, various factors affect data collection and interpretation and this may lead to false or questionable indications. Factors of this nature observed during the in situ passive thermographic inspection of these 16 buildings have been gathered and systematized to support the decision whether to use passive thermography in detecting moisture and delamination problems in an adhered ceramic cladding of a particular building, considering its characteristics. The factors observed were organized in two main groups associated with (1) the building/site inspected, and (2) IR thermography. Finally, an interaction matrix is proposed for the identification of the factors that can influence the execution of a thermographic inspection.