Ayse Tavukcuoglu

Determination of critical moisture content in porous materials by IR thermography

This study is focused on the improvement on the porous material characterisation, measuring the transition stage between the saturated and dry phases, which has been defined in literature as the critical moisture content (Θc). This study develops a procedure based on Quantitative IR Thermography (QIRT) determining the effective Θc, as a physical property for the porous material. The Θc for San Marco bricks were examined in laboratory by QIRT and the standard gravimetric method (SGM). It was seen that QIRT can be used to determine the Θc and was also found to be more practical and sensitive than the SGM. The results obtained in the laboratory were promising to give the hints of methods for quantitative moisture content measurements and in-situ QIRT investigations.

In situ examination of structural cracks at historic masonry structures by quantitative infrared thermography and ultrasonic testing

The key concern of the study was the in situ assessment of cracks in historic masonry structures by quantitative IR thermography (QIRT). To better understand the potentials and/or limits of QIRT for that purpose, the non-destructive in situ survey composed of QIRT and ultrasonic testing was conducted on a sixteenth century monument, suffering from structural cracks that had occurred in recent years. Its aim was to discover the thermal behaviour and ultrasonic characteristics of cracks in relation to depth and moisture content. The superficial and deep cracks were found to have different thermal responses to exposed conditions which made them easily distinguishable by QIRT analyses. The results of thermal monitoring during the exposure of heating conditions were promising in giving hints of methods for the depth assessment of deep cracks in masonry. The in situ ultrasonic data taken in indirect transmission mode provided knowledge on the depth of cracks that enhanced the accuracy of the non-destructive in situ survey.

Thermal analysis of an historical Turkish bath by quantitative IR thermography

The study is focused on the use quantitative IR thermography (QIRT) for the examination of thermal performance of an historical Turkish bath (hamam). A simple heat transfer model was applied to achieve reference surface temperatures during the IRT surveys. The reference temperatures calculated and the real surface temperatures measured have been compared each other to better understand the thermal performance of historical structure in a non destructive way. Another issue was the failures evaluation in relation to the recent restoring interventions. The study was supported by microclimatic monitoring of indoor and outdoor conditions. The thermophysical properties of the historic materials were determined by laboratory analysis and the data were used for the heat loss calculations