Infrared thermographic evaluation of cleaning stone relics at tomb of Yue Fei
- 1Lian Heng Memorial Hail, Administration of Yue Fei’Temple Scenic Area, Hangzhou, China
- 2School of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China
Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy and safety of steam cleaning technology for the removal of surface contaminants from stone cultural relics at the Tomb of Yue Fei, a nationally protected heritage site in China. The research focuses on common pollutants including dust accumulation, surface encrustation, hydro erosion, bioerosion, and anthropogenic graffiti. An evaluation method based on infrared thermography is proposed to assess cleaning effectiveness by analyzing temperature variation (T) before and after treatment. Field experiments were conducted using a steam cleaner with controlled parameters (pressure, temperature, angle, distance, and duration), and cleaning outcomes were evaluated through visual inspection, chromatic aberration measurement, and microscopic imaging. Results demonstrate that steam cleaning effectively removes most contaminants without causing significant damage to the stone substrate. The study also provides a set of recommended steam cleaning parameters for different pollutant types on limestone surfaces. The findings validate the feasibility of using infrared thermography as a non-destructive evaluation tool for cleaning efficacy, contributing to the development of standardized protocols for the conservation of stone heritage.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026infrared,
title = {{Infrared thermographic evaluation of cleaning stone relics at tomb of Yue Fei}},
author = {Ting Zhang and Sheng Ye and Liang Ye and Zekai Qian},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359835},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359835},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Infrared thermographic evaluation of cleaning stone relics at tomb of Yue Fei
AU - Ting Zhang
AU - Sheng Ye
AU - Liang Ye
AU - Zekai Qian
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359835
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359835
AB - This study investigates the efficacy and safety of steam cleaning technology for the removal of surface contaminants from stone cultural relics at the Tomb of Yue Fei, a nationally protected heritage site in China. The research focuses on common pollutants including dust accumulation, surface encrustation, hydro erosion, bioerosion, and anthropogenic graffiti. An evaluation method based on infrared thermography is proposed to assess cleaning effectiveness by analyzing temperature variation (T) before and after treatment. Field experiments were conducted using a steam cleaner with controlled parameters (pressure, temperature, angle, distance, and duration), and cleaning outcomes were evaluated through visual inspection, chromatic aberration measurement, and microscopic imaging. Results demonstrate that steam cleaning effectively removes most contaminants without causing significant damage to the stone substrate. The study also provides a set of recommended steam cleaning parameters for different pollutant types on limestone surfaces. The findings validate the feasibility of using infrared thermography as a non-destructive evaluation tool for cleaning efficacy, contributing to the development of standardized protocols for the conservation of stone heritage.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -