Thermography as an evaluation tool for studying the movement of water through various porous materials: capillary rise and evaporation

In this work, infrared thermography is used for detecting the movement of water - moisture in various porous materials in the laboratory, with the intention of validating the examination of real scale material systems in situ. Different materials have been subjected to capillary rise tests and to cycles of evaporation with water under controlled environmental conditions (Relative Humidity and Temperature). Material samples of a reference porous stone, of three basic categories of repair mortars, of consolidated porous stones and of simulating prototype porous materials were examined in lab. Furthermore, systems like historic masonries, were examined in situ, more specifically the Venetian Fortification in Heraklion, Crete and the Medieval Fortifications in Rhodes, undergoing severe alveolation in the aggressive marine atmosphere of the Aegean. Infrared thermography has been shown to be an effective technique for verifying relations between moisture and environmental conditions. Hence, infrared thermography can be used as an evaluation tool for studying the movement of water through porous materials - water absorption and evaporation.