Pathologies in Reinforced Concrete Structures: Fid-Bau Portal

Pathologies in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Garrido Vazquez, E. / Naked Haddad, A. / Linhares Qualharini, E. / Amaral Alves, L. / Amorim Féo, I.

Abstract There are healthy structures and diseased structures. The diseased ones can be described as those that had problems in one of the stages of its development (in this case, design, implementation, maintenance and repairs). Problems can also be caused by the use of defective or improper materials. The rapid growth of the construction sector in the country, the development of new construction techniques, the lack of specific technical standards and unintended failures of malpractice cases have been observed in reinforced concrete structures generating performances below expectation for initial proposal project. This set of factors generates a phenomenon called “structural deterioration”. Among the causes of deterioration are the “natural” aging of the structure, accidents, design errors, failures among the building phase, among others. This paper aims to present a case study that exemplifies some of the most important types of pathologies in concrete structures, making a detailed analysis of its possible causes, its impact on the final performance of the building, and plausible actions to mitigate or even eradicate the pathology in question. The case study was absolutely essential to clarify the information obtained by reading and ratified in practical analysis. The pathologies were identified from the analysis in situ and by analyzing photographic history of the building, divided by categories where the following topics will be highlighted: cause, consequence, and treatment. Thus, it is extremely important to accomplish studies to equalize effective ways to predict, analyze, and address the pathologies of structures, and in this particular case, reinforced concrete structures.