Possible uses of thermography at the precast plant

Figure: Testo

Besides locating thermal bridges in factory buildings …

Figure: Testo

… IR cameras are also suitable for monitoring and maintaining equipment and machinery

Figure: Testo

Weak spots of industrial buildings in terms of their energy performance include thermal bridges near windows, gates and doors, …

Figure: Testo

… in floor, footing or roof areas or at structural component transitions where concrete or steel beams penetrate the envelope of the factory building

Figure: Testo

Local thermal leaks in roofs can also indicate unwanted permeability or moisture impact

Figure: Testo

Figure: FLIR Systems

Components of machines, devices and systems with abnormal thermal patterns are detected just as easily as defective electrical parts

Figure: FLIR Systems

Overheated parts may pose a hazard to operators and even trigger fires in the worst-case scenario

Figure: FLIR Systems

Figure: Ingenieurbüro Schießl Gehlen Sodeikat

Gravel pockets, cavities or an insufficient bond with precast elements frequently occur in the process of filling precast wall units with concrete. These deficiencies can be located by means of ultrasound

Figure: Ingenieurbüro Schießl Gehlen Sodeikat

A thermographic camera can be used to check if the subsequent injection of grouting mortar and concrete into cavities was successful

Figure: Ingenieurbüro Schießl Gehlen Sodeikat

Figure: ZAE Bayern

Thermography can also be useful to optimize vacuum-insulated precast elements: weak spots are exposed

Figure: ZAE Bayern

Wandaufbau der vakuumgedämmten Betonfertigteile

Figure: ZAE Bayern

Figure: Testo

The software provided as part of the package serves to analyze the temperature parameters of each individual pixel in the thermogram

Figure: Testo

Figure: InfraTec

The degree of detector resolution is important because high-res IR cameras perform more accurate measurements – a comparison of the 160 x 120 and 1,280 x 960 resolutions with measured values

Figure: InfraTec

Figures: Trotec, InfraTec, FLIR Systems, collage not true to scale

Industrial applications thus require professional-use IR cameras with a minimum detector resolution of 320 x 240 IR pixels

Figures: Trotec, InfraTec, FLIR Systems, collage not true to scale

Infrared thermography is suitable not only for locating thermal bridges in factory and office buildings but also for monitoring and maintaining plant and equipment and optimizing precast production and assembly processes.

Thermal images recorded by an infrared camera are also referred to as thermograms. They have become one of the epitomes of energy-efficient construction and refurbishment. Thermal-imaging cameras are a prime choice particularly when it comes to refurbishing and upgrading existing precast buildings and structures (see also BFT International, 12/2011, Thermographic testing of precast structures). Yet this infrared measuring equipment has much more to offer than just identifying energy leaks in existing buildings. Additional benefits include the detection of thermal bridges in factory buildings,...