Hi,
Has any one ever tried thermal imaging of Earth embankments (road embankments) as a part of a predictive maintenance program. I am keen to hear of your experiences

thanks
Mick Windsor
www.windsorbusinesssolutions.com.au

To check hidden water flow thruogh cleavages?

Yes Josh, hidden water flow or hidden wash outs would be the main targets

There has been work done on finding water migration in the faces of dams and work done on locating underground "anomalies" including void areas. That I know of, no one has yet applied these to road embankments.

The trick is to find a time when there is a difference in temperature, typically caused by the day/night heating/cooling cycle or, in the case of moisture, evaporative cooling. Often early evening after a sunny day is a good time. Vegetation, of course, can also mask over the thermal patterns of the ground.

The attached is an image taken of two sets of railroad tracks in a Civil War prison camp that had, over the years, been buried under 36 inches of soil. It was taken by Bob Melia, unfortunately now deceased, and published in the Proceedings of Thermal Solutions. An amazing image! He took it in the early evening from a helicopter using a hand-held camera, the lowest cost system there was at the time!

Sorry, here is the image!