Noncontact Measurement of Thermal Resistance in 3D Concrete Printing Building Envelopes Using Infrared Sensing and Arduino

ABSTRACT Thermal resistance (R‐value) is a key metric for evaluating the energy performance of building envelopes, particularly in emerging technologies like 3D‐concrete pinting (3DCP) buildings. However, conventional methods such as heat flux meters (HFM) face challenges in 3DCP applications due to surface roughness, contact‐based limitations, and high costs. This study introduces a novel low‐cost, noncontact system integrating an MLX90614 infrared sensor and LM35 temperature sensor with an Arduino‐based platform, using the Thermometric Method (THM) to estimate R‐values from wall surface, indoor, and outdoor temperatures. A novel feature of the system is a dual‐servo mechanism that enables spatial temperature mapping over a 5 × 5 cm grid, improving accuracy by replacing traditional single point measurements with area‐based readings. Validation against the UVAL Wireless System (greenTEG) showed a maximum error of 13% under steady‐state early morning conditions, increasing to 173% in the afternoon due to thermal instability. The proposed method offers a practical, affordable, and non‐destructive solution for thermal diagnostics in 3DCP buildings, supporting the development of standardized evaluation protocols for sustainable construction.