Infrared Thermography Assessment of Thermal Bridges\ud in Building Envelope: Experimental Validation in\ud a Test Room Setup

摘要

Thermal infrared imaging is a valuable tool to perform non-destructive qualitative\udtests and to investigate buildings envelope thermal-energy behavior. The assessment of\udenvelope thermal insulation, ventilation, air leakages, and HVAC performance can be\udimplemented through the analysis of each thermogram corresponding to an object surface\udtemperature. Thermography also allows the identification of thermal bridges in buildings’\udenvelope that, together with windows and doors, constitute one of the weakest component\udincreasing thermal losses. A quantitative methodology was proposed in previous researches\udby the authors in order to evaluate the effect of such weak point on the energy balance of the\udwhole building. In the present work, in-field experimental measurements were carried out\udwith the purpose of evaluating the energy losses through the envelope of a test room\udexperimental field. In-situ thermal transmittance of walls, ceiling and roof were continuously\udmonitored and each element was characterized by its own thermal insulation capability.\udInfrared thermography and the proposed quantitative methodology were applied to assess\udthe energy losses due to thermal bridges. The main results show that the procedure confirms\udto be a reliable tool to quantify the incidence of thermal bridges in the envelope thermal losses.