REPORT ON

STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING

CONDITION SURVEY

BY,
SOURABHA U L
5WK18CSE15
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INTRODUCTION TO CONDITION SURVEY
The plan part of maintenance system and said that possibly structural
system would not need any maintenance, foundation frame, etc. would not need
any maintenance. But this is may not be true almost for whether a structural
system or non-structural system, but since safety is involved, as far as structural
system is concerned.

Non-structural items functional performance might be effected but safety

may not be effected to a great extent. But structural system both safety and
serviceability could be effected. So, necessary to know handling the structural
system. Because this is not uncommon today, that most of the quite often the
structural system shows some sort of deterioration, because we have not been able
to foresee the condition and the deterioration. So, quite often this condition
assessment is done through non-destructive testing. So, visual observation is
must, but then instrumental observation also be done. So, do some time non-
destructive testing. Now this could be part of routine.

Routine inspection part of routine inspection and, obviously will not do it

every day or every year, it will done sometimes. So, this should be part of the
routine inspection and if there is a defect have seen, always do it because it is part
of routine sometime legal purpose also have to do it. Suppose if there is a house
for sale that is legal purpose.

For example; a bank decides to higher building. Or even purchase the

building. Now it was not meant for bank functional change is occurring. The
safety is fine, but the security is major concern for them. So, in that case they
would like to know what is the condition of the structure as a whole because rest
of the thing they can change. There can be alterations of the space that can be
done functional aspect they can change, but structural system they will not be
able to change. So, they would like to know the condition. Besides that, even the
loading condition because if the function changes loading condition might
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 change. Inspection of steel, importance of the building and exposure condition all
these factor need to be considered. While all buildings may benefit from
a survey of this kind, the most appropriate typically include:
 Older buildings (usually 50 years old or more).
 Buildings facing renovation or redevelopment.
 Buildings that have already been renovated, altered or redeveloped.
 Buildings with unusual designs or construction features.
 Buildings that are being purchased.

DEFNITION OF CONDITION SURVEY

A condition survey is a comprehensive assessment of a commercial,
industrial or residential building’s physical condition. It is an examination of
concrete for the purpose of identifying and defining area of distress.
While it is referred in connection with survey of concrete and embedded
reinforcement that is showing some degree of distress, its application is
recommended for all building and structures. System is designed to be used for
recording history of project from its inception to completion and subsequent life.
Building surveys are a means of providing a detailed evaluation of
a property's condition and involve an extensive inspection. Whilst not being the
only type of survey available to property owners, a building survey is the most
common, particularly for domestic clients.
It involve a visual inspection performed by property and construction
professionals assess a building’s structural damage, failure, wear and tear, and
provide recommendation for repairs and improvement.
The surveys are generally undertaken to help property owners understand
the condition of a property, recording risks and potential expenditure that may be
required, enabling them develop the appropriate remedial or maintenance plans.
They may also be prepared for individual homeowners, home buyers, or for
investors in property portfolios to help inform future investments. Generally
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carried out by chartered surveyors, surveys may be presented as a formal, stand-
alone report that provides a snapshot of a property at a particular point in time,
including all elements of the property that are accessible, together with
recommendations for an appropriate strategy for dealing with any issues that
might have arisen.

WHY PERFORM A CONDITION SURVEY?

 May be part of routine inspection and check.
 May be structure is distressed
i) Early distress due to intrinsic cracks
ii) Early distress due to poor construction practise, material problem or
overloading
 May be legal purpose
 Long-term deterioration and durability problem
 It helps property and construction professionals make informed decisions.
 It give specialised advice to prospective property buyers, seller and
investor.
 It help architects to determine if building meets structural requirements of
a planned design or renovation and make necessary adjustments.
 It helps engineers assess a building’s infrastructure and identify problem
area in need of repair or fortification.
 Provide insight on general condition of building.
 Give the recommendations for repairs and improvement.
 Inform buyers and owners of possible repair and maintenance need and
costs.
 Documenting the present condition of the property,
highlighting areas of failure or concern.
 Identifying causes of past, or ongoing, deterioration.
 Identifying issues that need attention to prevent serious damage.
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  Providing an estimate of the cost of any works that may be required.
Manmade system they are produced with the expensed of energy. So, any
manmade system whether it is part of building structure or bridge or whatever it
is. So, actually some potential energy is stored in structure. So, they would like
to dissipate this energy. So, this is the potential level energy and need to dissipate
them. With time they will be at tendency to come back to its stable state. This is
the stable state natural.

So, for example, if you made steel, it was iron no which is the stable state
you have given energy to extract the iron out of it and alloyed it with carbon
etcetera to make it steel. So, therefore, you have given some energy potential
energy to potentially you have raised. Same is the case with cement. It was
limestone and silica now you have made it cement out of this by giving some
energy by heating.

So, most of the manmade systems are at higher potential or higher chemical
potential level energy potential level which deteriorate. So, therefore, they would
like to come back to this natural state. Now how do they come back, at what rate
do they comeback that would depend upon what is called kinetics. Rate will
depend upon that rate can be controlled.

For example, a steel rod kept outside will start rusting, but if it is painted
black with epoxy painting it will rust at a much slower rate. So, this rate can be
controlled. So, slow that it almost remains in the same condition for next 60 years,
it will be also depend upon this protection unit cost.

Similar sort of kinetics can be controlled, but potential would always there
will be a tendency to you know deteriorate. So, structural systems are not free
from deterioration or it is kind of a material degradation it is not free. So, it will
require at least inspection if not repair and replacement in very important
building. And that is why the condition survey is required.
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 If it is distress, there can be distress of different kind particularly concrete
system we are looking at. So, there can be some kind of what is called intrinsic
cracks, early distress due to intrinsic cracks, or maybe because of poor
construction right. So, some sort of overloading or long term deterioration what
we call durability problem.

So, there can be situations particularly with concrete which can show early cracks
what we call intrinsic cracks coming because of thermal, which is heat of
hydration. And other one is shrinkage. There are various kind of shrinkage, drying
shrinkage is called the major one. Now obviously, in case of steel this does not
come in that manner, thus normally in steel structural steel. Obviously, do
protection all the time now painting would be done and repainting, repainting you
will be doing, but over a long period of time and they have a reversal of stresses
or repetitive loading the fatigue cracks might develop. Steel is therefore, but in
later stages of long term if it is 100 years old the bridges and all that the inspection
might be required. So therefore, the conditions always important.

OBJECTIVE OF CONDITION SURVEY

 Identify cause of distress and their sources
 To assess the extent of distress occurred due to corrosion, fire, earthquake
and other reasons.
 To prioritise distress elements according to the seriousness for repair.
 To select and plan the effective remedy.
 Estimation of characteristic strength or grade of concrete for checking
structural stability.
 To evaluate adequacy of strength for repair and rehabilitation purpose.
 Simply to judge quality of concrete
 Diagnosis of concrete
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 To find out the in situ characteristic strength of concrete. in situ strength
would be different than what has been actually done in the laboratory cube
strength which you have done for quality control purpose, but actual structure
in situ strength might be quite different. So, sometime it is necessary to know
the grade of concrete in structure. So, grade of concrete might like to do where
structural stability is important. For example, legal purpose of the bank
building, in that case the load would be now changed therefore, I would like
to find out what is the grade of the concrete right.

Otherwise just for knowing adequacy of strength for repair. Some retrofit
corresponding to current earthquake code I might like to find out the strength. So,
grade of concrete I might find it. So therefore, I define objective if the objective
is to find out the characteristics strength I can state this objective is finding the
estimating the characteristic strength of concrete estimating the characteristics of
concrete. Accessing the quality of concrete that is different.

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The most common issues identified by condition surveys include:
 General property condition.
 Identifiable defects.
 Any structural movement, through subsidence or settlement.
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  Deterioration due to rising damp, penetrating damp,
surface condensation or interstitial condensation.
 Rot or infestations such as woodworm.
 Heating ventilation and air conditioning services.
 Other building services such as electrical services, plumbing, drainage,
and so on.
 Alterations that may have been made.
 Environmental issues.
 Legal issues that may require an additional expert investigation or advice.
 Energy performance.

STEPS INVOVLED IN CONDITION SURVEY

 Defining objectives through diagnosis
 Documentation survey
 Visual inspection
 Analyse, interpretation of result and conclusion.

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THE BUILDING CONDITION SURVEY STRUCTURAL
REPORT
When the survey has been completed, your surveyor will produce a final
report which will reveal whether the inspection has discovered any major and
minor defects that are compromising the structural integrity of the building. The
report will identify and describe the problems and their cause, provide
recommendations for further investigation and an indication of repair costs, and
state what could happen if the problem is not remedied.
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