Abstract: Leakage is the most common and harmful disease in earth dams. Rapid detection and location of the leakage is of great significance to ensure engineering safety. In consideration of the correlation between leakage and temperature of earth dam, we experimentally researched a non-contact detection method of earth dam leakage based on infrared thermography. Having expounded the detection mechanism and the factors affecting the accuracy, we carried out infrared thermal imaging experiments of earth dam leakage under various working conditions on an independently built detection experimental platform. The model experiments fully verified the feasibility of this detection method. Conclusions were also obtained in infrared image feature of earth dam leakage. The research findings offer reference for the rapid detection and recognition of earth dam leakage.

Key words: earth rock dam, river embankment, leakage detection, infrared thermography, model experiment