Problem and Repair Adjective Checklist

Project

You work in a technical trouble-shooting department for a civil engineering consultancy. Make an assessment of the
problems below from the notes you took. For quick reference for your computer files, you need to find 3 adjectives
describing the six problems in the profiles below. Decide if the adjectives describe the problem, the damage or the
object (structure or machine). Write 3 adjectives in the boxes describing the problems and then read the 6 plans on
the next page that have been drawn up and then decide which plan should be applied to which structure.

Adjectives
Aging Antiquated Cheap Chipped Corroded Costly Complicated Critical Dangerous Defective
Derelict Extensive Faulty Flawed Fragile Frequent Impractical Inaccessible Ineffective
Intermittent Insignificant Irregular Irreparable Irreversible Lasting Leaky Limited Local
Loose Lopsided Major Mismatched Minimal Minor Neglected Old Out-dated Permanent
Peripheral Profound Recurrent Rundown Rusty Serious Severe Significant Slight
Soggy Structural Superficial Systematic Teetering Trivial Uneven Unequal Unimportant
Unsalvageable Unsound Unstable Unsymmetrical Warped Weak Widespread Wobbly

West Walton Metro System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grunty Fen TV Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This metro system has been in use since
the early 1970s and has served the citizens
of the city of West Walton very well.
However, it is now time to modernise this
system. New trains have been bought, but
on a test run last week, it was discovered that the doors were
lower than the platform in some stations which could cause a
serious accident or injury to the passengers when boarding or
alighting from the trains. The new trains have been mothballed
for the time being until a solution can be found and old rolling
stock has been recommissioned to ensure the service for, what
is hoped, a temporary period.
This 200 metre tall transmitter mast was
completed 40 years ago and has
provided an excellent service to the
area. The TV and radio reception in the
area is exceptional. However, when the
mast was built, the weather in the area was very
different. This was not an area of strong winds or
extreme cold until recently. Changing weather patterns
have seen some serious gusts of wind that have started a
potentially dangerous swaying of this concrete tower.
There have also been some heavy build-ups of ice on top.

Walton on the Nene Flood Defences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gorefield Sewer System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When these flood gates and walls were
erected in the mid-70s, the solution to the
sporadic floods that had started to plague the
town was considered to be more than
adequate and the system has experienced few
problems, that is until 6 years ago. The defences were
overwhelmed for the first time and every year since then, there
has been at least one evacuation in the town centre as the river
has threatened to flow around the walls and gates, inundating
the sewer system and road drainage scheme to push through into
the centre, flooding homes and businesses. We need a solution
fast, as the damage to the local economy will be unsustainable.
This sewer system was built more than
150 years ago and is finally starting to fail
on account of the expanding population in
the city of West Walton. The rehabilitating
process would be easy to do if the soil in
this area was just normal earth. However,
while the topsoil is solid enough, the local river basin and
marshes have had their effect. The soil around the pipes is
basically mud and trying to widen the tunnels would result in
cave-ins. There are drier areas to the north of the city, and
renovation work has started there but the local city
engineers are worried about how to proceed.

The 100 Year Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walton Airport Lounge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This bridge was designed to last for only
100 years as it was deemed a temporary
solution only. As it goes, the bridge is
now 112 years old and, despite some
slight problems on account of its age, it could last another
couple of hundred years or more if the refurbishment is
done well. The main problem is the load calculations, as
the bridge was built when most traffic on the road was
horse-drawn. Although traffic over the river remains light,
there are plans to build a large shopping centre near the
bridge which will bring in a heavier volume. The structure
is sound enough but the abutment is not designed for
heavy traffic flow and the terrain around it is rather soft.
This revolutionary wooden design is the
second largest wooden structure in the
world. This whole section of the airport is
built in composite wood material and held
together by a special resin. The building
itself attracts tourists to the area and has
won several prestigious awards. However, one large area of
the lounge is now out of action after the roof started to leak. A
preliminary investigation discovered that a large external area
on the roof had been coated in a supposedly waterproof resin
that had been incorrectly mixed. The resin has succumbed to
the weather and there is extensive water damage which has
caused part of the roof to rot and allow rain to leak through.

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The Water Gate Plan (Cheap and easy)
This device is cheap and easy
to deploy. Manufactured in
Canada and used in an area
of frequent flooding, the
Water Gate has saved the
lives, properties, and
economies of myriad communities in that vast
country. Made from a tough plastic, the gate uses
the flow and weight of the water to self-deploy.
The weight of the water holds down the base and
the force of the current lifts the wall to block the
rest of the flow. These large, collapsible, and easily
stored mechanisms can be quickly installed in an
emergency and are very cheap to buy. The
instructions are simple and training for their use is
given free via an online course.
The Vortex Protection Plan (Spiral into control)
The movement in the
concrete mast is easily
resolved by technology
designed to combat vortex
shedding. Breaking up the
wind-flow by using irregular
shapes built around or into the outer concrete lining
will do the trick. Wind flow in the area is still pretty
gentle when compared to other areas but if weather
patterns continue to change it would be wise to
prepare the structure for much greater external
forces. There is an aeronautical company very close to
the structure that is an expert in this technology and
we have worked with them on similar projects before.
They have the most effective cure for vibrational
loads on the market and, in terms of logistics, are the
most rational choice.
The Raise-the-Ground Plan (Cheaper but tricky)
The answer to this
conundrum may sound
tricky but it’s been done
before. We could raise the
track at the affected
stations by three
centimetres. This was done
successfully in one underground station in London a
few years ago when new trains were introduced,
and the whole operation was completed in just
under 12 hours. The complicated part will be doing
the same in three different stations with no room
for error. Using special plates, extra ballast, and
brand new tracks, the old track can be pulled out
and replaced using a rapid deployment system, the
whole operation could be done in only 9 hours.
The Maintenance Friendly Plan (Upkeep)
The problem with this
structure is not so much to
do with the ground around
the river rather than the fact
that it was not designed with
regular maintenance
schedules in mind. The soft ground at the abutments
can be rendered safe using piles or a series of
supporting rods to cope better with traffic vibration
and reduce settlement with the resulting sinking of
the abutment and inevitable movement and damage
to the deck. What really needs to happen is the
upgrade of components of the abutment to be more
in line with modern safety standards. Replacing
concrete parts with more flexible steel supports and
neoprene bearing pads can be done cheaply and will
facilitate future maintenance or restoration work.
The Sticky Plan (A fresh coat)
If not treated soon, the damage to
the roof is going to be irreversible.
It isn’t even necessary to examine
the structure to see that this is a
severe case of “wet rot,” and the
timber has been eaten away by the fungus known
as coniophora puteana, or “cellar fungus” in
layman’s terms. We would need to erect a second
roof above the affected area and then treat the
wood with a fungicide or replace those parts that
are too badly damaged. We would also need to
recoat those areas with the correct solution of the
resin and leave enough time for it all to dry before
removing the temporary second roof. Because of
safety concerns, the affected areas of the lunge
would need to stay closed to the public.
The Cryogenic Plan (A cold initiative)
Although the machinery used
would pose a significant cost
to the project, the idea of
creating a “freeze wall” has
been floated around during
conversations on the
renovation project. If the mud
around the tunnels could be
frozen, the excavation and removal of the material would
be so much easier. This would also provide greater ground
support for heavy equipment on the surface above. The
ground freezing process involves drilling and installing a
series of relatively closely spaced pipes and circulating a
coolant through these pipes. The refrigerated coolant
extracts heat from the ground, converting the water in the
mud to ice resulting in an extremely strong, impermeable
material. As the freezing process uses an entirely closed
system, no chemicals can pollute the local water table.
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