GETTING IT RIGHT – FROM TESTING THROUGH DIAGNOSIS TO LASTING REPAIR

Although over 50% of UK construction expenditure is attributable to refurbishment projects, asset maintenance and repair has traditionally not generated much enthusiasm or interest among designers trained in new-build construction. However, these attitudes are changing. The technical challenges facing asset owners trying to extend the serviceable life of their structures can far exceed those faced by new-build designers: proper inspection, assessment, life prediction, maintenance and lasting repair of an asset for minimised cost over its life. Increasingly, industry is being asked to predict whole-life expenditure profiles for ageing assets, such as for private financing (PFI/PPP) projects. This requires input from materials specialists or “deteriorologists”, who understand whether the existing assets will achieve the intended service life. First, to understand causes of deterioration, then to intervene at the most appropriate time with cost-efficient materials and processes to restore or extend the life of the asset to meet the owner/operator's requirements. Increasingly, this is being termed Asset Engineering, which is a separate technical discipline from asset management or facilities management. This Keynote Opening Paper describes Asset Engineering as a process for the repair and restoration of assets and gives an overview of the common deterioration processes at work that affect reinforced concrete, common pitfalls in assessing and interpreting test data, and then examines the common repair methods available, setting the scene for the detailed papers and presentations to follow.

• INTRODUCTION

• LIFE-FAILING ASSETS

• MOVE TOWARDS PROPERLY MANAGED ASSETS

• ENGINEERING APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT OF ASSETS

• CONCLUSIONS

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• REFERENCES