Active thermography as non-destructive technique in the diagnosis of pathological manifestations in wood pieces

This paper aims to present the feasibility of the use of thermography as a non-destructive technique to diagnose the pathological manifestations hidden in wood pieces, whether they come from natural manifestations such as nodes, cracks, chemical, atmospheric and biological or of anthropic agents. Through the use of the active thermography technique, which uses pre-heating of the analyzed surface, experiments were carried out in order to identify the position of natural defects in these pieces. Additionally to this analysis, some holes were produced in order to compare the evolution of the heat on the pieces’ surfaces with and without holes. Same sized pieces were used, in order to simulate structural parts present in roofs, beams, etc. The tests were carried out in the laboratory, with temperature and humidity recorded. The results demonstrated the feasibility of using the active thermography technique as a tool for the preliminary diagnosis of occult pathologies near the surface of the wood pieces and their maintenance in initial stages.