Study the conservation degree in wood structures using TDR and GPR techniques

The condition of the wood structure and its components should be carefully recorded beforeconsidering any action. The diagnosis of wood structures in heritage should precede any intervention.It is important to know preliminarily the construction and structural system, the decaycondition and the causes. Furthermore, damage or structural failure should be considered.The diagnosis must be based principally on measurements of physical parameters using nondestructivetesting, and if necessary on laboratory testing. Water is one of the principal causes ofwood decay. In this study, ground-penetrating radar and time domain reflectometry were usedto estimate the dielectric permittivity and successively the volumetric water content of severaltypes of wood. An empirical relationship was found between the dielectric constant and volumetricwater content. Results were applied to two case studies: the Cathedral of Foggia and theCastle of Carosino.