Abstract
In this paper, a method to identify the geometrical shape and the location of the defect embedded in a concrete structure by processing the thermal image of the structural surface acquired by infrared thermography is presented. In the proposed method, the structure is modeled as a homogeneous infinite plate whose boundary condition on the observed surface is known. A layer-by-layer inverse analysis using a regularized interlayer transfer matrix based on 2D Fourier transform is carried out to obtain the sharper image of the defect as well as the depth of the damaged layer. The estimated depth information mapped on the image plane has resulted in a depth image which can display the shape of the defects as well as their depth simultaneously. An improved method introducing equivalent virtual heat sources that prevent the "boundary artifact" caused by the heat flux across the image boundary is presented.
