Laboratory Studies of Infrared Thermography in Roofing Moisture Detection

A laboratory evaluation of infrared thermography for detecting moisture in roofing specimens is presented. This study was based on laboratory controlled specimen preparation and testing conditions. For steady state heat flow, and in a few cases, transient heat flow, the effects of moisture on the surface temperature of the roofing specimens were determined by thermocouples and thermography. Surface temperatures determined by infrared thermography were shown to correlate well with the thermocouple temperatures. Two system performance parameters were assessed: threshold moisture content and the slope of the instrument response versus moisture content curve.