Radio Waves Help See Moisture Inside Walls
The building community soon may have radio vision---a new
way to "see" moisture inside walls. Building researchers at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have joined forces with
Intelligent Automation Inc. in Rockville, Md., to develop a way to use ultra
wide-band radio waves to non-destructively detect moisture within the walls
of a building. As any homeowner who's suffered with leaky plumbing or mold
problems will tell you, the current state of the art for pinpointing
moisture problem areas relies mostly on guesswork and a drywall saw.
Based on hardware developed by Intelligent Automation, the new NIST
technique involves sending a broad range of radio frequencies through
typical drywall construction to look for a "moisture" signature in the
signal that is reflected back. Laboratory experiments conducted with a
simplified wall section made of gypsum board, fiberglass insulation, and
oriented strand board (similar to plywood), demonstrated that the new method
can locate moisture pockets to within one centimeter.
The presence of water within the model wall produced a stronger
reflection of radio waves at specific frequencies. The elapsed time between
transmission of the waves and their arrival at a receiving antenna helps
determine the location of the water. By processing the reflected signals
with computer software, the researchers can create detailed
three-dimensional maps that highlight wet areas.
Research is continuing to see how well the apparatus performs with real
walls that include studs, wires, pipes and windows that may complicate the
readings. A paper describing the research has been accepted for publication
in an upcoming issue of ASHRAE Transactions.
This story has been adapted from a news release issued by National
Institute Of Standards And Technology (NIST).
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