Structural Audit and Retrofitting of RCC Structure

Abstract

Civil Engineering Industry is one of the oldest industries which provide a basic infrastructure to all the human beings. Structures can be any kind it can be Historical, Heritage Structure, Residential building, Commercial building or an Industrial building. Every structure has its own service life, and within this service life it should stand firmly on its position. Ex- A Taj Mahal in Agra in India which is one of the oldest structures and a Wonders of the World, and still stand on its position very efficiently. But this not a condition about the today’s Structures. A collapsed mechanism has increased and today’s Structures are getting collapsed before there service life is completed. Therefore, it is advisable to monitor it periodically by taking a professional opinion. Structural Audit is a preliminary technical survey of a building to assess its general health as a civil engineering structure. It is usually initiated as the first step for repair. In this Project a Root Cause of a faulty mechanism of structure and a preventive measure to overcome a failure of this structures. The construction material mainly reinforced concrete is being used extensively for various types of construction projects. However, the deterioration of Reinforced Concrete structures is recognized as a major problem worldwide. Apart from requiring regular maintenance, many structures require extensive Repair, Rehabilitation & Retrofitting. Over a period of time, as these structures become older, we find in them certain degradation or deterioration with resultant distress manifested in the form of cracking, splitting, delaminating, corrosion etc. Such deteriorated structures can be rehabilitated and retrofitted by using various types of admixtures & modern repair materials. The paper brings out the present state of concrete structures & the major areas where improvement is needed during its service life stage for sustainable development & also the method of carrying out Repair, Rehabilitation &Retrofitting. This has been brought in details in the paper along with Case studies, where the Author of the paper was directly involved in planning and execution of the job.