Characterization of defects situated in a fresco by stimulated infrared thermography

J.C. Candoré , J.L. Bodnar , V. Detalle , P. Grossel

The objective of this work is to approach the possibilities of stimulated infrared thermography in dimensional characterization of defects situated in mural paintings. Towards this end, we have proceeded in two stages. Initially, we have developed, with the help of a point source photothermal analysis, an in situ measurement of the longitudinal thermal diffusivity parameter. Then, we have proceeded to the characterization of the depth of the studied defect, by means of a wide photothermal analysis and of a confrontation between theory and experiment. In this article, we present these two measurement techniques and show that the approach allows a good estimation of the depth of an inclusion of plastazote in a copy of the "Saint Christophe" of the "Campana" collection of the "Louvre Museum".

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Domaines: Physique [physics]

J.C. Candoré, J.L. Bodnar, V. Detalle, P. Grossel. Characterization of defects situated in a fresco by stimulated infrared thermography. European Physical Journal: Applied Physics, 2012, 57 (1), ⟨10.1051/epjap/2011110243⟩. ⟨hal-00758053⟩