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Chapter 9
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8789-9.ch009
Non-Destructive Testing
for Assessing Structural
Damage and Interventions
Effectiveness for Built Cultural
Heritage Protection
ABSTRACT
Non-destructive techniques - NDT are used in the feld of built cultural heritage protection, as they are
applied in-situ and do not require destructive sampling. Infrared thermography is used for materials/
decay mapping, assesses the compatibility and efectiveness of restoration materials and interventions,
and reveals moisture transfer phenomena within structures. Ultrasonic testing assesses the residual
properties of historic materials, reveals the decay layers and evaluates the efectiveness of consolidation
treatments. Ground penetrating radar reveals the internal structure of masonries, identifes and locates
subsurface voids, structural cracks and incontinuities. Portable imaging systems, in conjunction with
digital image processing, are used for in-situ materials characterization, and for the study of the decay
typologies. Data management systems correlate data from NDTs, from other methods and from seismic/
environmental impact assessment analyses to evaluate the preservation state of a historic structure and
to plan interventions.
Antonia I. Moropoulou
National Technical University of Athens, Greece
Kyriakos C. Labropoulos
National Technical University of Athens, Greece