Structural Rehabilitation, Repair and Strengthening

The reconfiguration of existing buildings is today a priority in the national construction landscape. Adapting them to regulatory requirements or those arising from changes in use, as well as correcting any form of pathology, makes it essential to reinforce, repair and rehabilitate!

Principles

Ferca aims to act in a specific area of this process, applying its experience and knowledge in structural design and calculation as well as in the implementation of construction systems, actively seeking to be a partner for designers, contractors and project owners in Structural Rehabilitation, Repair and Reinforcement.

Focusing its activity on reinforced concrete structures, it is important to identify the services and solutions that can contribute to a correct understanding of the challenge, identification of structural deficiencies and needs, and the consequent application of reinforcement systems that, while respecting existing elements, can contribute to solving the problem and preparing the structure for a new cycle of its life.

Inspection, Diagnosis and Structural Assessment

Any solution will only be truly effective if it starts from correct assumptions, so prior inspection and testing play a central role in identifying pre-existing structural elements by characterising their geometry, materials and any pathologies they may exhibit. Only in this way will it be possible, through three-dimensional structural modelling, to make an assertive diagnosis and assess behaviour so as to design, plan and implement the structural intervention. Examples of services Ferca can offer include structural surveying, pathology identification, non-destructive recognition tests, sample collection for laboratory testing, and review of the project and its compliance with the as-built structure.

Injections

Injections play an important role in the repair and rehabilitation process of a structure, as they allow gaps and discontinuities between materials to be filled. Filling them with materials of adequate strength and composition compatible with the base elements allows the restoration of their load-bearing capacity — epoxy resin or cementitious grout injections are recommended for this. For masonry interventions where filling and homogenisation are required, injection with hydraulic lime-based grouts is of particular interest. Finally, polyurethane injections allow not the reinforcement of the section but its protection against further deterioration.

Concrete Repair and Reinforcement Protection

The repair of structural concrete and the treatment of existing reinforcement is a process that requires meticulous intervention using specially designed products. Restoring its functional characteristics and preventing the progression of accelerated deterioration phenomena in concrete exposed to environmental factors and reinforcement corrosion is one of the main processes of structural conservation, protection, repair and reinforcement.

Sprayed Concrete or Structural Mortars

Spraying reinforced concrete onto vertical elements, or reinforcing existing masonry with structural mortars reinforced with steel mesh or carbon fibres, is essential to give the rehabilitated structure the load-bearing capacity required by regulations — in particular for seismic action. Its design must be integrated within the pre-defined structural system in the project, and its execution carries a high level of responsibility given its impact on the overall structural behaviour and consolidation of existing masonry.

Application of External Prestress

The application of external prestress to an existing structure, with proper care and correct assessment, is a solution that allows the imposition of a force or displacement affecting the structural force balance, correcting deformations or redistributing loads — a solution that can be extremely useful for adapting space to architectural requirements or in cases of deficient structural design. Prestress can be applied using high-strength, low-relaxation steel or bars.

Structural Reinforcement with Carbon Fibres

Composite material systems, notably CFRP — Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer — in the form of laminates, sheets or meshes, today represent a solution with structural, economic and aesthetic advantages for reinforcing reinforced concrete structures and rehabilitating masonry. As solutions that give structural elements significant performance improvement and new limits in load-bearing capacity using materials that, including the applied resin, do not exceed 3 to 4 mm in thickness, these solutions allow structures to gain new capabilities without significant impact on their geometry.

S&P – Clever Reinforcement Company AG CFRP systems have been developed and certified to the highest standards, available in distinct configurations: S&P Laminate laminates, primarily for increasing flexural resistance; S&P C-Sheet fabric, used mainly for confinement or shear reinforcement of columns and beams; and the S&P Armo system with S&P ARMO-mesh meshes applied together with structural mortars for reinforcing slabs, walls, masonry and tunnels. More recently, S&P developed a reinforcement system with prestress applied externally to CFRP laminates, minimising deformations and closing cracks.

To choose and design the most suitable reinforcement, contact us!