Avaliação de estruturas de edifícios em concreto armado com vistas à reabilitação

Abstract

With the growing number of serious problems found in the reinforced concrete structures, according to the research on damage done by Dal Molin in 1998 and Andrade 1997, there has been a growing demand for inspections and the maintenance of residential buildings both in Pernambuco and country as a whole. However, it is possible to observe that the practice of periodical inspections is still not part of the culture of a specific section of the population, who don`t have the financial means nor a knowledge of the importance of maintenance as a guarantor of the building`s safety. These inspections aim to detect structural faults in time to minimize repair costs. Preventative maintenance is meant to guarantee the useful life of the building. In this study, there was an inspection schedule using tests and a methodology to measure damage, to check the state of direpair of three residential buildings, all more than 20 years old, all on the coast where the environmental effects are strong. The deterioration found in each of these buildings was due to inadequate preventative measures. The last action taken in Building A was undertaken by unqualified labourers directed by the condominium with no technical knowledge in the area of the civil engineering. In Building B, the situation is similar, worsened by the opinion of several residents who think that there in no need for this kind of inspection. And this even though the building is in a critical state according to the research done. As for Building C, at the time of our research, there was a civil engineering firm performing maintenance services, though this is due to last minute action taken by the present management of the building