SCI5603 MAINTENANCE AND

REHABILITATION OF STRUCTURES
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To study the damages, repair and rehabilitation of structures.

UNIT-I MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR STRATEGIES

Maintenance: Maintenance is preventive in nature. Activities include inspection and works

necessary to fulfill the intended function or to sustain original standard of service. The
maintenance of structure is done to meet the following objective:

Prevention of damages due to natural agencies and to keep them in good appearance and
working condition.
Repair of the defects occurred in the structure and strengthen them, if necessary.

The Maintenance work is broadly classifies as

a) Preventive Maintenance

b) Remedial Maintenance

c) Routine Maintenance

d) Special Maintenance

a) Preventive Maintenance: The maintenance work done before the defects occurred or damage
developed in the structure is called preventive maintenance. It includes thorough inspection,
planning the programs of maintenance and executing the work It depends upon the
specifications, condition and use of structure.

b) Remedial Maintenance: It is the maintenance done after the defects or damage occurs in the
structure. It involves the following basic steps.

-Finding the deterioration

-Determining the causes

-Evaluating the strength of the existing structure

- Evaluating the need of the structure

-Selecting and implementing the repair procedure

c) Routine Maintenance: It is the service maintenance attended to the structure periodically.
The nature of work done and interval of time at which it is done depends upon specifications and
materials of structure, purpose, intensity and condition of use. It includes white washing, parch
repair to plaster, replacement of fittings and fixtures, binding of road surface.

e) Special Maintenance: It is the work done under special condition and requires sanction and
performed to rectify heavy damage. It may be done for strengthening and updating of the
structure to meet the new condition of usage or to increase its serviceability. It may include
particular or complete renewal occurring at long interval, such as floors, roofs etc.

Necessity of maintenance: The causes which necessitate the maintenance effects the service and
durability of the structure as follows:

a) Atmospheric agencies

b) Normal wear and tear

c) Failure of structure

a) Atmospheric agencies

Rain: It is the important source of water, which affects the structure in the following ways;
Physical:

Dissolving and carrying away minerals as it is universal solvent.

Expansion and contraction – The materials is subjected to repetitive expansion and contraction
while they become wet and dry and develops the stresses.

Expansion of water – The variation of temperature causes the expansion and contraction
absorbed water and affects the micro-structures of the materials.

Erosion – Transportation, attrition and abrasion of the materials is quite evident effect of the
water.

Chemical: The water available in nature contains acids and alkaline and other compound in
dissolve form acts over the material to give rise, which is known as chemical weathering.

Wind: It is the agent, which transports the abrasive material and assists the physical weathering
Its action is aggravated during rains and, When it is moving with high speed, it may contains
acidic gases like CO2 fumes which may act over the material and penetrates quite deeply in
materials and structure.

Temperature: The seasonal and annual variation of the temperature, difference in temperature in
two parts of the materials and the surface of material causes expansion and contraction, this
movement of the material bond and adhesion between them is lost when it is repeated. This is
responsible for the development of cracks and the rocks may break away into small units.
Exploitation or peeling off the shell takes place if exterior layer are heated externally with
respect to internal layers. The temperature variation may also cause change in the structure and
chemical composition of the material.

b) Normal Wear and tear: During the use of structure it is subjected to abrasion and thereby it
loses appearance and serviceability.

c) Failure of structure: Failure is defined as the behavior of structure not in agreement with
expected condition of stability or lacking freedom from necessary repair or non-compliance with
desired use of and occupancy of the completed structure. In field it may result in visual collapse
of the structure or even suspension of the services e.g. the collapse of towers, sliding or over
turning of dam, settlement of foundation, crushing of columns etc.

The causes of failure may be broadly grouped as:

Improper Design: Due to incorrect, insufficient data regarding use, loading and environmental
conditions, selection of material and poor detailing.

Defective Construction: Poor materials, poor workmanship, lack of quality.

Facets of maintenance: Maintenance operations have many facets such as

Emergency maintenance: Necessitated by unforeseen breakdown drainage or damage

caused by natural calamity like fire, floods, cyclone earthquake etc.
Condition Based maintenance: Work initiated after due inspection
Fixed time maintenance: Activities repeated at predetermined intervals of time.
Preventive maintenance: This is intended to preserve by preventing failure and detecting
incipient faults (Work is done before failure takes place)
Opportunity maintenance: Work did as and when possible within the limits of operation
demand.
Day-to-Day care and maintenance
Shut down maintenance: Thorough overhaul and maintenance after closing a facility.
Improvement plans: This is essentially maintenance operation wherein the weak links in
the original construction are either replaced by new parts or strengthened.

Importance of Maintenance:

Improves the life of structure

Improved life period gives better return on investment
Better appearance and aesthetically appealing
Better serviceability of elements and components Leads to quicker detection of defects
and hence remedial measures
 Prevents major deterioration and leading to collapse
Ensures safety to occupants
Ensures feeling of confidence on the user
Maintenance is a continuous cycle involves every element of building science namely
 Structural
 Electrical wiring
 Plumbing-water-supply-sanitation
 Finishes in floors and walls
 Roof terrace
 Service platform/verandah
 Lifts
 Doors windows and other elements

Various aspects Inspection: The following are the various maintenance aspects,

a) Daily Routine Maintenance

b) Weekly Routine Maintenance

c) Monthly Routine Maintenance

d) Yearly Routine Maintenance

a) Daily Routine Maintenance:

 Basically an inspection oriented and may not contain action to be taken.

 Helps in identifying major changes, development of cracks, identifying new cracks
etc
 Inspection of all essential items by visual observation
 Check on proper function of sewer, water lines, wash basins, sinks etc
 Check on drain pipes from roof during rainy season.

b)Weekly Routine Maintenance:

 Electrical accessories
 Cob webs cleaning
 Flushing sewer line
 Leakage of water ling

c) Monthly Routine Maintenance:

 Cleaning doors, windows‟ latches etc

 Checking septic tank/ sewer
 Observation for cracks in the elements
  Cleaning of overhead tanks
 Peeling of plaster, dampness, floor cracks

d) Yearly Routine Maintenance:

 Attending to small repairs and white washing

 Painting of steel components exposed to weather
 Check of displacements and remedial measures

Repair: Repair is the technical aspect of rehabilitation. Refers to modification of a structure

partly or wholly which is damaged in appearance or serviceability.

Stages of repair: Repair of concrete structure is carried out in the following stages:

a) Removal of damaged concrete

b) Pre treatment of surfaces and reinforcement

c) Application of repair materials

d) Restoring the integrity of individual sections and strengthening of structure as a whole.

a) Removal of damaged concrete:

 Prior to the execution of any repair, one essential and common requirement is that the
deteriorated or damaged concrete should be removed.
 Removal of defective concrete can be carried out using tools and equipment the types of
which depend on the damage.
 Normally, removal of concrete can be accomplished by hand tools, or when that is
impractical because of the extent of repair, it can be done with a light or medium weight
air hammer fitted with a spade shaped bit.
 Care should be taken not to damage the unaffected concrete portions.
 For cracks and other narrow defects, a saw-toothed bit will help achieve sharp edges and
a suitable under cut.

b) Pre treatment of surfaces and reinforcement:

The preparation of a surface/pretreatment for repair involved the following steps:

 Complete removal of unsound material.

 Undercutting along with the formation of smooth edges.
 Removal of the cracks from the surface.
 Formation of a well defined cavity geometry with rounded inside corners.
 Providing, rough but uniform surface for repair.
 The cleaning of all loose particles and oil and dirt out of the cavity should be carried out
shortly before the repair. This cleaning can be achieved by blowing with compressed air,
hosing with water, acid etching, wire brushing, scarifying or a combination. Brooms or
brushes will also help to remove loose material.

c) Application of repair materials:

 After the concrete surface has been prepared, a bonding coat should be applied
to the entire cleaned exposed surface.
 It should be done with minimum delay.
 The bonding coat may consist of bonding agents such ass cement slurry,
cement sand mortar, epoxy, epoxy mortar, resin materials etc.
 Adequate preparation of surface and good workmanship are the ingredients of
efficient and economical repairs.

d) Repair procedure:

The repair of cracked or damaged structure is discussed under two distinct categories,
namely, ordinary or conventional procedures; and special procedures using the latest techniques
and newer materials such as polymers, epoxy resins etc.

A repair procedure may be selected to accomplish one or more of the following objective:

1. To increase strength or restore load carrying capacity.

2. To restore or increase stiffness.

3. To improve functional performance.

4. To provide water tightness.

5. To improve appearance of concrete surface.

6. To improve durability.

7. To prevent access of corrosive materials to reinforcement.

Durability of concrete Repair: The objective of any repair should be to produce rehabilitation –
which means a repair carried out relatively low cost, with a limited and predictable degree of
change with time and without premature deterioration and/or distress throughout its intended life
and purpose. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to consider the factors affecting the durability
of a repaired structural system as part of a whole, or a component of composite system.
Summarized some of the findings and recommendations may be grouped into three categories:

1. Durable Repair Design

2. Durable repair application and

3. Evaluation of the repairs.

Assessment Procedure for Evaluating Damages in Struture and Repair techniques:

For assessment of damage of a structure the following general considerations have to be take
account.

1) Physical inspection of damaged structure.

2) Presentation and documenting the damage.

3) Collection of samples and carrying out tests both in situ and in lab.

4) Studying the documents including structural aspects.

5) Estimation of loads acting on the structure.

6) Estimate of environmental effects including soil structure interaction.

7) Diagnosis.

8) Taking preventive steps not to cause further damage.

9) Retrospective analysis to get the diagnosis confirmed.

10) Assessment of structural adequacy.

11) Estimation of future use.

12) Remedial measures necessary to strengthen and repairing the structure.

13) Post repair evaluation through tests.

14) Load test to study the behavior.

15) Choice of course of action for the restoration of structure.

Testing Techniques:A number of non-destructive, partially destructive and destructive

techniques for assessment of concrete structure and to predict the cause of deterioration of the
concrete in the existing structures are available. Interest in the field of Non-Destructive Testing
(NDT) of structure is increasing worldwide. These NDT techniques can be broadly classified
into following four groups:

Strength Tests:

Schmidt Hammer Test

 Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity
Pull out and Pull off Tests
Break off Core Test
Windsor Probe
Pulse Eco Technique

Durability Tests:

Corrosion Tests
Absorption and Permeability
Test for Alkali Aggregate Reaction
Abrasion Resistance Tests
Rebar Locator Test

Performance and Integrity Tests:

Infrared Thermograph Test

Radar Test Radiography and Radiometry Tests
Acoustic Emission
Optical Fibre Test
Impact Echo Tests
Load Testing test
Dynamic Response
X-Ray Diffraction

Chemical Tests :

Carbonation test
Suphate Determination Test
Chloride Determination Test
Thermoluminescence Test
Thermo gravimetric analysis Test
Differential Thermal analysis
Dilatometric Test

With these tests it would be possible to know in-situ strength/quality of concrete to

precise identify the damage and causes of the deterioration of the structure, to predict the
residual life measures to enhance the life of the structure.
Details of few of the tests, which are commonly used in practice, are described below,
1. Schmidt Hammer Test: Schmidt Hammer Test is a quick method for assessing the
quality of concrete based on surface hardness indicated by the rebound number. If the
strength of concrete is high, then the rebound number is also high. The principal of this
test is that when the plunger of rebound hammer is pressed against surface of the concrete
the spring controlled mass rebounds and the extent of such rebound depends upon the
surface hardness of the concrete. The surface hardness and therefore the rebound number
is taken to be related to compressive strength of the concrete. Rebound number values
also depend on angle of measurement.
2. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity test: Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (USPV) method is being
extensively used to assess the quality concrete. This test is generally used for
measurement of concrete uniformity, determination of cracking and honeycombing, and
assessment of concrete deterioration. The principal of USPV measurement involves
sending electro-acoustic pulse through a concrete path and measuring the transit time
taken, for a known distance. Pulse velocity is then, computed. Pulse velocity depends
mainly on elastic modulus of concrete. Any factor, which influences the modulus of
elasticity of concrete, will also affect its pulse velocity. The direct method of testing is
the more reliable from the point of view of transmittance measurement, as maximum
pulse energy is transmit at right angles to the face of transmitter.
3. Carbonation Test :Concrete is having micro-pores and these pores are filled with liquid,
having PH –value as high 12.5. Thus, concrete is alkaline in nature. This alkaline of the
concrete is due to (OH) ions in pore water, which are produced by the dissolution of
Ca(OH)2 from the solid phase of the cement gel into pore water and from the caustic
alkalis present namely potassium and sodium oxides. Carbonation of the concrete is the
reaction of Ca(OH)2 with the atmospheric CO2, and its conversion into CaCO3. The
reaction lowers the pH-value of the pore water to about 8.3. The outer zone of concrete is
affected first out due to the passage of time, carbonation proceeds deeper into the mass as
carbon dioxide diffuses inwards from the surface. If carbonation depth becomes equal to
cover of concrete, steel reinforcement is then prone to corrosion damage. By carbonation
test, we measure the carbonated depth of concrete. To determine the depth of carbonation
drilling of a hole is done in stages and the phenolphalein solution is sprayed in it after
every stage. As soon as the color of the concrete becomes pink, drilling is stopped and the
depth of the hole measured.
4. Core Test :Core test is one of the best methods to assess the strength of the concrete in
reinforced concrete construction. Compression testing and petrographic examination of
cores, cut from hardened concrete, is a well established and most reliable method
enabling visual inspection of the interior regions and direct estimation of the strength.
The results obtained from the other nondestructive tests are generally verified using core
test.
5. Rebar Locator Test: By this test, bar diameter, cover to reinforcement, spacing of
reinforcement, number of reinforcing bars and any discontinuity in the reinforcing bars
 can be detected. This test is performed using cover meter which is based on electro-
magnetic theory.
6. Chloride Determination Test: Small amount of chlorides will normally be present in the
concrete. Higher amount of chlorides may give rise to potential of corrosion risk.
Quantity of chlorides in the concrete is generally determined chemically and is expressed
in terms of percentage of chlorides by weight of concretes.
7. Thermo gravimetric and Dilatometric test: Thermo gravimetric and Dilatometry may
be used to assess temperature attained by concrete. As the concrete undergoes irreversible
chemical changes during fire there would be weight loss at about 5000C. Using thermo
gravity curves the temperature attained during fire can be obtained. In dilatometric test,
shrinkage of concrete due to process of dehydratrion is detected. By compaction
expansion with temperature lines that represents dialometric curves for fire damaged
concrete and unaffected concrete, the probable temperature to which concrete was
subjected can be established.
8. Thermo luminescence Test :Thermo luminescence test was proposed by placid and
elaborated by chew. This method is useful in finding out the temperature history of
concrete exposed to a temperature range from 3000C to 500 0C. This method utilizes the
concept that the intensity of emission of visible light on heating versus temperature curve
for a particular material depends on its thermal and radiation history.
9. Differential thermal Analysis Tests: Differential thermal Analysis test is based on
measurement of temperature curve of the concrete samples accompanying the irreversible
physic, chemical transformation at a temperature, heated in surface. This method consists
of heating of sample in platinum crucible with a thermocol embedded in it. The time
temperature curve of sample is compared with that of crucible containing in material or
without my samples. The differential thermal analysis of concrete samples are conducted
pulverized sample of mortar obtained from sound and unsound concrete with granular
size of the concrete passing a sieve of 150 microns and retained on 75 microns sieve.

Causes of Deterioration:

The following are the causes of failure of structure:

a) Occurrences incidental to construction stage. This could be attributed to

1. Local settlement of sub grade.

2. Movement of formwork.

3. Vibrations.

4. Internal settlement of concrete suspension.

5. Setting Shrinkage.
6. Premature removal forms.

b) Drying Shrinkage

c) Temperature stresses – This may be due to

1. Difference in temperatures between the inside of the building with its environment.

2. Variation in internal temperature of the building or structure.

d) Absorption of moisture by concrete

e) Corrosion of reinforcement – This could be caused by

1. Entry of moisture through cracks or pores.

2. Electrolytic action

f) Aggressive action of chemical

g) Weathering action

h) Action of shock waves

i) Erosion

j) Poor design details at

1.Re-entrant corners

2. Changes in cross section

3. Rigid joints in precast elements

4. Deflections

This leads to

1. Leakage through joints

2. Inadequate drainage

3. Inefficient drainage slopes

4. Unanticipated shear stresses in piers, columns and abutments etc

5. Incompatibility of materials of sections

6. Neglect in design
k) Errors in design

l) Errors in earlier repairs

m)Overloading

n) External influences such as

1. Earthquake

2. Wind

3. Fire

4. Cyclones etc.

Some of the major causes of deterioration of concrete structure are discussed in detail here.

Design and construction flaws: Design of the concrete structures governs the performance of
concrete structures. Well designed and detailed concrete structure will show less deterioration in
comparison with poorly designed and detailed concrete, in the similar condition. The beam-
column joints are particularly prone to defective concrete, if detailing and placing of
reinforcement is not done properly. Inadequate concrete cover may lead to carbonation depth
reaching upto the reinforcement, thus increasing the risk of corrosion of reinforcement.

Environmental Effects :Micro-cracks present in the concrete are the source of ingress of
moisture and atmospheric carbondioxide into the concrete which attack reinforcement and react
with various ingredients of concrete. In aggressive environment concrete structures will
deteriorate faster and strength life of concrete structure will be severely reduced.

Poor Quality material used: Quality of material to be used in construction, should be ensured
by means of various tests as specified by the IS codes. Alkali-aggregate reaction and sulphate
attack results in early deterioration. Clayey materials in the fine aggregate may weaken the
mortar aggregate bond and reduce the strength. Salinity causes corrosion of reinforcement bars
as well as deterioration of concrete.

Quality of supervision: Construction work should be carried out as per the l aid sown
specification. Adherence to specified water/cement ratio controls strength, permeability and
durability of concrete. Insufficient vibration may result in porous and honey combed concrete,
whereas excess vibration may cause segregation.

Deterioration due to corrosion

Spalling of concrete cover

Cracks parallel to the reinforcement
 Spalling at edges
Swelling of concrete
Dislocation
Internal cracking and reduction in area of steel of reinforcement

Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation consists of restoring the structure to service level; it once had
and now lost. Strengthening consists in endowing the structure with a service level higher
than that initially planned by modifying the structure not necessarily damaged.