Detection of façade plaster detachments using infrared thermography – A nondestructive technique

Façade plaster detachment is a pathology that spoils the appearance of the façade, facilitate rainwater penetration and consequently reduce durability. Infrared thermography can be successfully applied to a rapid non-destructive diagnosis provided that the multiple parameters involved are accounted. Results of laboratory and in situ tests to assess detachments using dynamic thermography are presented and compared with numerical simulation results. These pathologies become visible through the action of radiation from sunlight or a heat source once they create an air layer between the plaster and masonry, which causes additional thermal resistance, changing the temperature distribution in the areas with anomalies.