A Survey from the current states to the Challenges in the view of Engineering practices The possibility of a quantitively infrared passive Thermography inspection of debonding defects in building clads According to the physics

Abstract

Abstract: Existing techniques for detecting wall delamination often suffer from significant
safety and efficiency issues in practice. Single-frame solar infrared thermography presents a
promising non-contact and non-destructive alternative. However, its current application is
qualitative rather than quantitative, as its results are highly susceptible to engineering
environmental factors, rendering the assessment directional rather than precise. This review
examines the development of this technology over the past 30 years from a practical engineering
perspective,
covering its applicability, evaluation criteria, post-processing, and
commercialization. We identify the core reason for the inability to provide quantitative results:
the loss of temporal information regarding the surface temperature’s response to the heat source.
Looking ahead, this paper discusses the potential for enhancing single-frame solar
thermography by integrating advancements from the last five years in AI. Specifically, we
explore the feasibility of using Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) coupled with
generative models to reconstruct the missing thermal response data. This approach holds
significant promise for elevating single-frame solar thermography from a qualitative screening
tool to a robust, quantitative method for assessing wall delamination.