Pulsed Thermography Applied to the Study of Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Abstract:In this paper, an overview of the recent applications of pulsed infrared thermography is presented. Pulsed infrared thermography, which provides stratigraphic information by analyzing the heat diffusion process within the sample after a thermal perturbation, is applied to the investigation of different kinds of cultural heritage artefacts. In particular, it is used to analyze repairs, decorative elements, and casting faults on bronzes, to detect texts hidden or damaged in ancient books/documents, and to characterize paint decorations. Moreover, the integration of pulsed infrared thermography and three-dimensional shape recording methods is proposed in order to provide a three-dimensional representation of the thermographic results. Finally, it is shown how the obtained thermographic results may be crucial from the historical and artistic points of view for understanding the modus operandi of a specific artist and/or of a workshop and for reconstructing the manufacturing process of the analyzed artefacts.

Development of Thermal Principles for the Automation of the Thermographic Monitoring of Cultural Heritage

“…Among the most recent IRT review papers, Garrido et al [ 7 ] and Moropoulou et al [ 10 ] present several IRT applications to infrastructure inspections, among them heritage sites, and demonstrate the importance of IRT application at all stages of a conservation project, from diagnosis to evaluation of conservation interventions, for ordinary or large-scale conservation projects, respectively. In addition, Mercuri et al [ 11 ] and Ibarra-Castanedo et al [ 12 ] review the recent applications of a particular type of inspection, named Pulsed InfraRed Thermography, on different types of cultural heritage artefacts, and explain the theory of IRT in the context of cultural heritage studies showing also some case studies, respectively.…”

Special Issue on ‘Novel Ideas for Infrared Thermography and Its Application to Integrated Approaches’

“…In [29], Mercuri et al applied pulsed infrared thermography with the aim to provide stratigraphic information in different kinds of cultural heritage artefacts by analyzing the heat diffusion process within the sample after thermal perturbation. Moreover, the integration of such pulsed infrared thermography and three-dimensional shape-recording methods was proposed in order to provide a three-dimensional representation of the thermographic results.…”

Thermographic Non-Destructive Evaluation for Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composite Laminates

“…The development of infrared image processing algothrims also enhances its advantages for use. It has been used in different fields such as electrical components, medical imaging, thermal comfort, in-line industrial monitoring, buildings, artworks, composite materials [13][14][15][16][17][18]. Although IRT has been applied in many fields, quantitative analysis is becoming increasingly important aside from inspection, which need further study, e.g., depth information, etc.…”