Abstract-Contactless Transient THz Temperature Imaging by Thermo-transmittance Technique on Semi-transparent Materials

M. Bensalem, A. Sommier, J. C. Mindeguia, J. C. Batsale, Luis-David Patino-Lope, C. Pradere,

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10762-018-0521-3

THz waves have shown to be effective for several applications, such as security, non-destructive testing, and water content monitoring for porous materials and food products. This study aims to highlight the use of THz radiation to measure temperature variations of thin insulating materials opaque in the visible or IR range (PVC, PTFE, PMMA, and wood) by using a spectral thermo-transmittance technique. THz wave optical transmittance in materials show high sensitivity to temperature variations. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the transient temperature gradient dependence of THz transmitted signals inside materials to develop a new contactless method for measuring temperature of thin materials semi-transparent to THz radiation. The principle is based on synchronous detection, using an infrared camera coupled with a THz to infrared thermal converter (TTC) with modulated millimeter-scale waves (2.7 mm). The results show a correlation between the transient temperature and the optical transmittance coefficient. Several types of samples semi-transparent to THz radiation are tested, and the corresponding thermo-transmittance coefficients as reported for PVC, PTFE, PMMA, and wood are respectively 0.805, 0.395, 0.640, and 1.177 K−1 m−1.

Abstract-Terahertz Measurement of the Water Content Distribution in Wood Materials

M. Bensalem, A. Sommier, J. C. Mindeguia, J. C. Batsale, C. Pradere
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10762-017-0441-7

Recently, THz waves have been shown to be an effective technique for investigating the water diffusion within porous media, such as biomaterial or insulation materials. This applicability is due to the sufficient resolution for such applications and the safe levels of radiation. This study aims to achieve contactless absolute water content measurements at a steady state case in semi-transparent solids (wood) using a transmittance THz wave range setup. First, a calibration method is developed to validate an analytical model based on the Beer-Lambert law, linking the absorption coefficient, the density of the solid, and its water content. Then, an estimation of the water content on a local scale in a transient-state case (drying) is performed. This study shows that THz waves are an effective contactless, safe, and low-cost technique for the measurement of water content in a porous medium, such as wood.