Evaluation Classification of Weathering Degree of Stone Cultural Relics by Infrared Thermal Imaging.

It is very important to reveal the weathering characteristics of stone cultural relics to protect their integrity for a long time. Infrared thermal imaging was employed in this study to analyze the degree of weathering and classification of stone cultural relics for the protection of the cultural relics. To explore the feasibility of evaluating the overall weathering degree of rock surface, the weathering degree of the rock surface was first determined by using various conventional testing methods. Then, the weathering degree of rock surface was quantified by applying infrared thermal imaging. Finally, the weathering degree of the rock surface was analyzed by comparing it with conventional testing results. Results show that, the infrared thermal imaging can distinguish general disease types and degrees of development based on abnormal surface temperature. When the surface weathering of stone cultural relics is more serious, the temperature change at a certain time is greater after water spraying and cooling. The conclusions obtained in this study can provide a reference for evaluating the overall weathering degree of the surface layer of stone cultural relics via infrared thermal imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]