The degradation of Reinforced Concrete buildings is recognized as a serious issue around the world. Aside from routine maintenance, many structures require substantial Repair and Rehabilitation. As these buildings age, we see some degradation or deterioration, with resulting distress shown in the form of cracking, splitting, delaminating, corrosion, and so on. As a result, the need for repair and rehabilitation has increased significantly in recent years. But before begin any repair and rehabilitation, we will need permission for renovation or repairing as it is important.
Repair and rehabilitation strategies must be planned with the structure’s expected or intended remaining service life in mind. There must be a differentiation between repairs and rehabilitation that are meant to completely stop deterioration and those that are just designed to slow down deterioration processes for a short time. Repair and rehabilitation work demands specialisation and a thorough understanding. There are several sorts of repair and rehabilitation treatments available, which are detailed more below.
Repair and rehabilitation of structures
This relates to repairs to the roof, foundation, floor slabs, permanent external walls, and support columns of the building. Unwanted movement in buildings may be stressful and upsetting for building owners. Subsidence, physical disturbance, and building material failure are just a few of the elements that might have an influence on a property’s structural integrity. Fortunately, while there are several reasons why a structure may shift, developments in repair technology and application techniques ensure that efficient solutions to the problem are available.
It is always preferable to hire an expert structural surveyor to monitor the condition before any work is done. This monitoring might take some time, but the appropriate diagnosis is always worth the wait. In short, structural repair and stabilisation are a less expensive, less disruptive, and more ecologically friendly alternative to demolition and rebuilding. To ensure the long-term success of any structural repair programme, contractors with the requisite abilities and expertise must be chosen. Advanced technology, techniques, and experience were long the domain of historical structures, but same technologies are gradually finding their way into the restoration and preservation of more modern household homes.
Repair and rehabilitation using cathodic protection
Cathodic protection (CP) is a corrosion-control technology that involves making a metal surface the cathode of an electrochemical cell. A straightforward technique of protection involves connecting the metal to be protected to a more readily corroded “sacrificial metal” that serves as the anode. Instead of the shielded metal, the sacrificial metal corrodes. When passive galvanic cathodic protection is insufficient for structures such as lengthy pipelines, an external DC electrical power source is employed to deliver sufficient current. Cathodic protection systems safeguard a diverse spectrum of metallic structures in a variety of situations.
Repair and rehabilitation of columns and micro jacketing
Column jacketing is a technique for increasing or restoring the capacity of reinforced concrete columns. Micro concrete Jacketing is a technique for increasing the strength of existing beam-columns. The primary goal of column and beam jacketing is to improve the seismic capability of moment-resistant framed structures. Jacketing is commonly used to repair deteriorating columns, piers, and piles and may even be utilised in underwater applications. The procedure may be used to prevent concrete, steel, and wood components against further degradation and to reinforce them. Repair of reinforced concrete damages such as columns, beams, and walls.
Patch repair and rehabilitation
This is the most widely used method for repairing corrosion damage in RC structures. Patch repairs normally include removing the concrete cover to roughly 25 mm past the steel bars (which are subsequently cleansed of corrosion products) and installing a repair material. Steel is typically affected by corrosion in a structure under repair; loose rust scales are removed preferably all around the bar using abrasive tools or sandblasting and stabilised for rust formation with suitable rust convertors; then a protective coating such as alkaline cement polymeric coat, epoxy phenolic coat, or zinc-rich paint, etc. is applied over the rebars.
Monitoring Corrosion for Repair and Rehabilitation
Corrosion monitoring techniques are grouped into numerous groups based on various characteristics, such as direct or indirect, intrusive or non-intrusive, on-line or off-line, and so on. The monitoring approach is direct if it monitors a direct outcome of corrosion; otherwise, it is indirect. Direct approaches include corrosion coupons, electrical resistance (ER), and linear polarisation resistance (LPR). Ultrasonics and radiography are two examples of indirect methods used to measure the result of the corrosion process. If a monitoring strategy necessitates entering the process stream, it is considered invasive; otherwise, it is considered non-intrusive.
Repair and rehabilitation by selective demolition
Selective demolition employs meticulously planned sequencing procedures to separate and sift the components within a structure. Rather than demolishing a structure, an Oregon demolition business deconstructs it with specialized equipment. The approach eliminates waste, increases efficiency, and lowers the carbon impact of a project. Building owners frequently choose this choice when they wish to modernize the inside of a structure, convert a room, enhance the building’s health, or construct an extension.
