Possibilities for Thermography Application in Hydrothermal Wood Processing

This paper gives an overview of possibilities for using IR thermography method. There are two main directions for further research: energy analysis of hydrothermal process and non-destructive evaluation of wood, especially the determination of thermal properties of wood. In this way the starting point has been established for further research and practical application of this method in wood industry. The experimental data of heat flux in wood have been analyzed, and this method can be used for defects detection in material structure, particularly holes, rot and drying cracks. One of the most important future aims is the characterization and research of thermal properties of domestic wood species.