Concrete surface temperature mapping and anomaly detection with airborne thermal remote sensing

Abstract

Erosion control is one of the most important land development policies in Japan. Corrosion of concrete structures and associated structural failures can be seen in complex urban areas due to the difficulties in detection and maintenance of them. It is particularly true along transportation systems where retaining walls along highways are unstable. Early detection of such corroded spots possibly will prevent a significant amount of structural failures and loss. The objective of this study is to develop a temperature mapping algorithm that detects such anomalies in concrete structures through airborne thermal remote sensing. A new airborne thermal sensor, Thermal Airborne Broadband Imager (TABI), available at PASCO Corporation is utilized to acquire thermal data at 0.1 oC thermal resolution and with 1.5 m resolution for a study site in Japan. The shadow effect on radiant temperature was analyzed. The statistical T-test was used as measure in detecting concrete anomalies and proved to be effective.