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| Experimental study on detecting water-leaking fractures in concrete based on infrared thermal imaging technology |
| ZHANG Xianzhen, ZHANG Shukun, WU Xinghui, JIANG Peng*
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| School of Urban and Architectural Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang 277100, Shandong, China |
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Abstract Seepage through concrete cracks was identified as a critical factor inducing tunnel lining defects. Its evolutionary process was accompanied by complex energy conversion and heat exchange. However, the microscopic thermodynamic behavior could hardly be captured by traditional methods. Therefore, the crack seepage mechanism was taken as the core research object. Infrared thermography was employed as a diagnostic tool for temperature fields, supplemented by a high-speed camera, and laboratory seepage tests under various working conditions were conducted. Specifically, the temperature evolution law and the intrinsic energy mechanisms in the crack area under isothermal water injection were revealed. During the first water injection, a three-stage temperature change(an initial rise, a subsequent decline, and a final stabilization)was observed in the crack, which was governed by the competitive trade-off between hydration reaction heat and evaporative heat absorption. With increasing water injections, the hydration heat was dissipated, and the temperature response transformed into a two-stage pattern of direct cooling followed by stabilization. It was thus confirmed that evaporative cooling became the dominant energy consumption mechanism during the seepage process. In addition, the thermal response rate and spatial extent were significantly affected by the crack width, and the apparent crack size in the infrared thermograms was found to be larger than the actual size, attributed to the amplification of crack geometric information by thermal diffusion effects. The energy coupling mechanism in the seepage process was clarified, and a theoretical basis was established for leakage diagnosis based on thermal signals.
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Published: 07 July 2026
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