Methodology for Determining the Operational Safety of Buildings and Their Structures

Abstract

This article proposes for consideration a methodology for assessing the operational safety of buildings and their structures, which eliminates some of the shortcomings of existing methods for calculating the residual resource for physical wear (damage) of building structures based on the results of a visual inspection.

The basis of the methodology is the dependence of the allowable period of safe operation on the percentage of reduced bearing capacity. The proposed methodology consists of two stages.

At the first stage, the permissible service life between inspections of buildings is determined, depending on the category of the technical condition of individual structures. The methodology takes into account that defects of various types, each of which by its size can characterize a limited operable state, can have a total more negative impact on the structure and aggravate its technical condition in a specific period of time, for example, cause a transition from a limited operable state in emergency.

The second stage of the methodology includes the determination of approximate terms before the overhaul of buildings. When assigning values of the significance of structures, a differentiated approach was adopted depending on the structural system of the building, taking into account the requirement to ensure the failure-free operation of the construction object.