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1993 | Buch

Building Maintenance Technology

verfasst von: Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen

Verlag: Macmillan Education UK

Buchreihe : Macmillan Building and Surveying Series

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SUCHEN

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
1. Overview of Building Maintenance
Abstract
Buildings are expected to exist for a long time, regardless of whether or not they have actually been designed and constructed properly to do so. The building industry is responsible for maintaining, improving and adapting the existing stock of buildings in addition to the production of new buildings. The maintenance and retrofitting market has grown rapidly and is bound to continue growing. The standard and level of maintenance of buildings in any country is invariably directly related to the strength of its economy. As countries become more developed, they are disposed to require higher standards from buildings, as with other aspects of life.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
2. Causes and Agents of Deterioration
Abstract
Building demands many skills in planning, design and construction, and the selection and use of many materials and techniques. After the building is completed, it has to meet various requirements, withstand the rigours of the climate and, at the same time, it is expected to last for many years, preferably with minimal maintenance. It is not surprising that defects and failures occur frequently. Consideration must be given, therefore, at every stage of the building process, of ways of reducing the incidence of defects and prolong the durability of the building.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
3. Diagnosis and Investigation Techniques
Abstract
Even with reasonable care and management at every stage of a building process, defects do occur. Some of these defects are manageable, particularly if they are localised; other defects are more serious, take a longer time to show up and usually need expert investigation. There is, therefore, a need to understand why and how defects occur, what the immediate and long-term implications are, and what remedial measures are necessary to restore, maintain or extend the usefulness and safety of the building. Out of this need has arisen a relatively new discipline which is broadly described as ‘building diagnostics’.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
4. Foundations
Abstract
The most expensive building repair bills are often incurred with foundation failures. Where foundations are built on rock, there is very little chance of failure, provided that the rock is sound and solid. But because most buildings have to be built on other soils, which include materials of various origins, some movement and settlement must be expected.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
5. Concrete Defects
Abstract
Traditionally, reinforced concrete has been considered as a highly durable structural material requiring little or no maintenance over many decades. In fact, it is this, together with its versatility, that makes concrete the most popular structural material in many parts of the world. But, like any other material, concrete is not completely inert to chemical action or immune from physical deterioration arising from climatic changes, abrasion, damage from high velocity water, fire, impact, explosion, foundation failure or overloading.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
6. Concrete Defects — Inspection and Diagnosis
Abstract
Concrete, by nature, is a non-uniform, non-isotropic structural material consisting of aggregate particles, air voids and moisture distributed heterogeneously in a hardened matrix. Variations in its production and subsequent attack by the environment mean that concrete is not totally immune to defects although it is generally a durable and maintenance-free material.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
7. Repair of Concrete Structures
Abstract
Reinforced concrete is generally a very durable structural material and very little repair work is usually needed. However, its durability can be affected by a variety of causes, including those of design and construction faults, use of inferior materials and exposure to aggressive environments. The need for a repair is primarily dictated by the severity of the deterioration as determined from the diagnosis. Good workmanship is essential if anything more than just a cosmetic treatment to the concrete is required.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
8. Timber and Timber Components
Abstract
Timbers used commercially are divided into softwoods and hardwoods. Softwoods are obtained from cone-bearing trees with needle-like leaves, for example, pine, fir or kauri. Hardwoods such as birch, teak or meranti are obtained from broad-leaved trees.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
9. Brickwork and Stonework
Abstract
Brickwork and stonework are used primarily in the construction of walls, by bedding and jointing small brick units or stones into established bonding arrangements.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
10. Steel and Other Metals
Abstract
Metals form a significant group of construction materials because they exhibit high strength in tension. Their high strength is also matched by their high stiffness.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
11. Roofs and Roof Drainage
Abstract
The roof is the most vulnerable part of a building and hence its performance requirements have to be stringent. Although most roofs are structurally stable, problems do occur because of poor design and construction. All roof coverings are expected to be durable under a wide range of conditions. But this durability is often short-lived because the roof is invariably exposed to the extremes of temperature, solar radiation, snow loadings and wind action as well as to chemical, biological and mechanical agents.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
12. Wall Claddings
Abstract
The term ‘cladding’ is taken to mean a method of enclosing a building structure by the attachment of elements capable of spanning between given points of support on the face of the building or as infill panels between members of a structural frame.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
13. Finishes and Decorations
Abstract
Despite developments in building technology, building defects of the non-structural type are still common. Each year, a large amount of money is spent on rectifying defects in finishes. These defects arise from errors in design or construction, many of which could have been avoided if proper and closer supervision had been enforced during the design and construction stages. Other causes include the varying site conditions, occupational use of buildings, lack of maintenance, and climatic effects on the finishes and decorations.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
14. Dampness in Buildings
Abstract
Every building is surrounded more or less by natural moisture of one kind or another. Most buildings also contain moisture created internally by normal habitation or use and industrial processes. Good design measures are essential to keep the moisture out of the building, but when these measures are inadequate, dampness can enter the building materials to cause their deterioration.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
15. External Works
Abstract
External works describe primarily the areas immediately surrounding the building, and provisions include minor roads in a housing estate, paved areas, boundary walls, railings, fencings and turfed areas. The main causes of failure related to external works include poor design, bad workmanship, soil settlement, chemical attack on materials, weathering elements, mechanical damage and vandalism.
Lee How Son, George C. S. Yuen
Backmatter
Metadaten
Titel
Building Maintenance Technology
verfasst von
Lee How Son
George C. S. Yuen
Copyright-Jahr
1993
Verlag
Macmillan Education UK
Electronic ISBN
978-1-349-23150-8
Print ISBN
978-0-333-48993-2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-23150-8