Inspección with non destructive techniques of a historic building: oratorio San Felipe Neri (Cádiz)

Abstract

The main aim of this article is showing the results that have been obtained when non destructive techniques (ultrasound and thermography) are applied to a building with an important artistic and historical value. These non-destructive techniques have been applied in the inspection of the wooden roof structure to detect different states of deterioration, loss of density and defects. The aim is the assessment the state of the preservation of the wooden structure. A fieldwork has been carried out, where the two techniques have been applied together, ultrasound, an effective technique to establish the diagnosis of a wooden structure, and the thermography, a technique less tested in the in situ inspection of this material. The aim is checking the range and the real possibilities of using of each technique. In this sense, the methodology of ultrasound developed and published by the authors is applied and the thermography like in situ inspection tool, analysing additional difficulties and interference parameters not found in laboratory. The conclusions of this study show that the union of the ultrasound technique and the thermography is a good tool for on-site inspection of wooden structures and to assess their conditions allowing establishing a proper diagnosis. Thermography can detect different moisture contents and different materials and, on the other hand, ultrasound detects different states of deterioration or loss of density in specific areas with a high moisture content of the pieces.