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Teaching building pathology at the Civil Engineering Department of Beira

Interior University

Conference Paper · September 2002

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João Carlos Gonçalves Lanzinha João P. Castro-Gomes

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 XXX IAHS
World Congress on Housing
Housing Construction – An Interdisciplinary Task
September 9-13, 2002, Coimbra, Portugal
Eds.: Oktay Ural, Vitor Abrantes, António Tadeu

Teaching Building Pathology at the Civil Engineering Department

of Beira Interior University

João C.G. Lanzinha, and João P. Castro-Gomes

Department of Civil Engineering

University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
e-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

Key words: teaching, building pathology, building conservation

Abstract
This article presents the adopted teaching activities in Pathology and Conservation of Buildings
subject that are developed in the Civil Engineering Degree at the University of Beira Interior, Covilhã,
Portugal, by the Construction Unit. The teaching methodology of adopted for this subject is described.
It consists on the elaboration of review and of project reports, by the students, during the practical
classes. The interest of the adopted methodology is discussed. It is motivating for students learning
and provides practical experience and approach to the professional activities in this domain of civil
engineering. Finally, a list of review and of project reports of practical cases, considered of interest and
that were already studied by the students, in the previous years, is presented. These reports, having
been properly corrected and complemented, constitute a reference library for the education and
scientific divulgation, in this domain.

1 Introduction

The construction Pathology can be defined as being the systematic treatment of the anomalies, the
study of its causes and consequences and the definition of the respective repair methods and
techniques. Although the designation Pathology of the Construction seems recent, the treatment of
constructions anomalies is a very old subject. Since the year 2200 B.C. the Hammurabi Code of
Construction indicated severe punishments, and even condemnation to death, for some serious cases of
anomalies in the constructions. Today times are different, but the importance given to the theme,
demonstrates that the analysis of problems placed by the construction pathologies should not be
summarized only to safety's issues. On the contrary, the responsibility is global for all intervenient
agents in the conception, project and execution. The investigation in this domain is more and more
difficult due to growing complexity of the constructions, systems and materials and to the associated
technological developments. For this reason it is necessary a larger attention to the treatment of the
Pathology issues, as well as, more divulgation and an easier access to the available knowledge. [1]
 João C.G. Lanzinha and João P. Castro-Gomes

The Civil Engineering Curriculum at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) has been permanently up
to date, seeking the continuous adaptation to requirements for the exercise of the civil engineer
profession. The rigorous attitude and permanent adaptation to the emergent realities, allows this
Degree to integrate the restricted group of the degrees recognised by the Portuguese Institution of the
Civil Engineers. Besides this authentic Certificate of Quality, the teaching of Civil Engineering given
at UBI complains is innovator, for the importance given to experimental component, relatively to other
existent degrees in the Country. The degree in Civil Engineering includes, from its beginning, the
Pathology and Conservation of Buildings subject, of the fifth year, and belonging to the Scientific
Area of Construction. This subject has laboratory and project classes and its own characteristics, but in
everything similar to the teaching methods given at the University of Beira Interior and especially at
the Construction Group. [2]

2 Program and evaluation method of the building pathology subject

In this discipline, theoretical and practical knowledge of construction common anomalies, diagnosis
and inspection methods, conservation solutions and building rehabilitation solutions is transmitted to
students.
In the program of the discipline, themes with interest for the global study of constructions
degradation/deterioration phenomena are approached, and as well as of general methodologies for its
diagnosis and repair, as follows: [3]

• Current construction pathologies: General introduction.

• Structural anomalies in buildings: Pathology in structural elements. Movement of
foundations. Anomalies in structural elements. Anomalies in facades of buildings.
• Degradation and deterioration of reinforced concrete structures: Deterioration of
concrete (physical deterioration, disaggregating, permeability defects, erosion,
chemical and biological attack). Deterioration of steel (corrosion and rupture).
Deterioration of other materials (supports and joints).
• Non structural anomalies in Buildings: Degradation of buildings by moisture
(condensation, infiltration, fortuitous causes). Degradation of buildings by aging and
lack of conservation maintenance (mortar degradation and degradation of other
materials in facades of buildings).
• Degradation and deterioration of wood structures: Physical and mechanical
deterioration of wood. Preservation and treatment of wood. Reinforcement and repair
of wood structures.
• Conservation of historical buildings: Basic concepts. Classification criteria and
types of monuments. Inspection of historical buildings. Conservation of historical
buildings.

The evaluation methodology used takes students to prepare a review and a project reports. The review
report is elaborated individually, by each student, about a theme of interest, properly framed in the
program of the discipline. These review reports contribute to the apprehension of knowledge, with
subsequent application in the execution of the project report. The project report is accomplished on
study of real cases and it consists on the elaboration of a detailed technical report of inspection and
diagnosis of a building or of a structure.
 XXX IAHS, September 9-12, 2002, Coimbra, Portugal

3 Laboratorial equipment available for the practical teaching

The laboratories of Construction: Physics of the Constructions / Pathology of Buildings are equipped
with a quite complete set of small equipments, destined to support the practical teaching of the
Building Pathology and Conservation, namely:

• Digital and mechanical thermal hygrometers

• Surface moisture encounter
• Maturity meter
• Rebound hammer
• Half cell potential apparatus
• Ultrasonic pulse velocity apparatus
• Apparatus for water vacuum absorption determination
• Air and water permeability tests
• Non destructive and partially destructive concrete mechanical tests (Capo test, Bond test and
Lok test)
• Electromagnetic steel detector
• Field and laboratory core equipments

This group of equipments is destined to the inspection and diagnosis of the materials and construction
elements, structural and non structural, allowing the deep study of the degradation causes and other
anomalies.
During the discipline functioning period the use of those equipments is motivated on students,
endowing them the competences and knowledge for executing specialized works.
As complement of the teaching and research activities, this group of equipments permit rendered
specialized services to the community, as has been in the execution of a significant number of
technical reports. [4]

Figure 1: Examples of Equipment and facilities available for the practical teaching

4 The innovation in the pedagogic aspects of the discipline

In what respects to the evaluation methods, it was sought in this discipline to apply the methodology
considered more appropriate to promote in the students more interest to attend classes, better final
results and more interest for the study. Furthermore, study based on the experimentation with research,
properly guided and supported by the lecturers. It is also objective of the implemented system to
promote the effective students participation in the laboratory and of field works, trying to mitigate the
tendency of some to have a passive attitude in the learning process.
 João C.G. Lanzinha and João P. Castro-Gomes

In the first part of the learning period the review report is elaborated. It is a way to stimulate students
to learn by themselves by the research and summary of information, with support in the
experimentation, and the existent bibliographical means and in the consultation of sites of interest for
the construction and civil engineering. This experimentation process, learning by themselves and
treatment of the information is accompanied by lecturers of the discipline, centring teaching in the
student; thus, abandoning the habitual practice of classes with excessive exposition, in that the lecturer
maintained a distant attitude in relation to students and was limited to transmit knowledge in a static
way. This new attitude, participation, autonomy and the critical spirit is promoted.
On the second part of the learning period, knowledge and competences acquired in an individual way
is then used for the materialization of a team work. Like this, multidisciplinary is stimulated as well as
the organization capacity and team work, creating in that way a new methodology to approach the
problems of the pathology and conservation of buildings.
As evaluation complement, the students are required to answer a written theoretical test about the
themes studied during the semester.
For the materialization of the foreseen objectives the necessary work conditions were created. The
Laboratory of Physics of Constructions/Pathology of Buildings works with an integration perspective.
In the same place where the theoretical and practical classes are given and support is provided by
lecturers, the students can study and use the available testing equipments and the necessary working
conditions for the materialization of review and project reports: group tables, computers, access to data
bases and Internet, and a small library of publications and copies of relevant papers for the discipline,
as well as several reviews and reports produced by the students of previous years are available.
A final note for this new teaching methodology is the use of the new technologies of information. The
lecturers of the discipline present in the beginning of the semester, through the intranet, the list of
review reports and the protocol and instructions for its accomplishment. The students have opportunity
to submit their reviews for the same way or by email. Up to according dates, students can present draft
documents that can be complemented after lecturer’s comments, in a continuous process of learning
and evaluation. After correction, these reports are available for consultation for the following years.

5 Examples of review and project reports

As exemplification a list of review reports elaborated in the last years is presented:

• Equipment and testing methods in external paintings

• Pathologies in roofing,
• Manual of procedures for the execution of fotogrametric surveying
• Moisture measuring in roofing using troxler apparatus.
• Bases and practical applications of thermography
• Thermal bridges
• Interior condensations in buildings
• Pathology in external paintings: manifestations and causes.
• Solutions of reinforcement of building facades
• Catalogue of typical cracking in concrete structures
• Manual of Capotest
• Manual of digital Higrometer apparatus
• Manual of Schmidt Hammer apparatus
• Costs Analysis in anomalies rehabilitation
• Listing of anomalies in the envelop external opaque and respective repair techniques
• Pathology inspection techniques: building envelop analysis
 XXX IAHS, September 9-12, 2002, Coimbra, Portugal

• Manual of Microcovermeter apparatus

• Manual of open porosity test
• Methods of carbonation determination in concrete
• Catalogue of concrete deterioration due to steel corrosion
• Methods of steel corrosion determination in concrete
• Examples of thermal hygrometer data acquisition
• Determination of the amount of chlorides in concrete structures
• Manual of Moisture Encounter
• Mortar testing and characterization methods

The project reports choice of themes has always as primordial objective to analyse real cases,
privileging the connection to the local community. That permits an easier student first contact with the
real conditions of professional work. A list of those project reports, as example, is present below:

• Inspection of Pinhel City Hall building, Pinhel, Portugal

• Inspection of High School Frei Heitor Pinto, Covilhã, Portugal
• Inspection of High School Campos Melo, Covilhã, Portugal
• Inspection of Centre of Studies for Regional Development – UBI, Portugal
• Inspection of Quinta da Malufa – UBI, Covilhã., Potugal
• Inspection of Old Municipal Library, Covilhã, Portugal
• Inspection and testing concrete of inferior base of the cable car of Piornos
• Inspection of Machedes (different buildings) – Tortosendo, Portugal

It is shown in fig. 2, an example of a review report is presented.

Figure 2: Pages of a review report: “Pundit Manual, Dec. 2000”

In figure 3, an example of a Project Report is presented.
 João C.G. Lanzinha and João P. Castro-Gomes

Figure 3: Pages of a project report: “Machedes buildings inspection, Dec. 2000”

6 Conclusions

The implementation in practice of this teaching and learning innovative methodology demanded a
larger effort of all the intervening agents, starting with lecturers of the discipline. However it allowed
obtaining very positive grades, more motivation and students' participation in the learning process,
guaranteeing, this way, very exciting results in the evaluation process.
The reports produced are completely available for the academic community, publishing in a free way
the treated themes developed. This is also an effective way to divulge Civil Engineering building
pathologies information.

References

[1] CIB W86; Building Pathology - the state-of-the-art report, June 1993.
[2] J.P. Castro-Gomes and L.A. Pereira de Oliveira; O Ensino da Construção no Departamento de
Engenharia Civil da Universidade da Beira Interior, Engenharias 2001, UBI, Nov. 2001, Portugal
[3] J.P. Castro.Gomes and J.C. Lanzinha; Notes for the discipline of Pathology and Conservation of
Buildings, UBI, 2001, Covilhã, Portugal.
[4] J.P. Castro-Gomes, L.A. Pereira de Oliveira, J.C. Lanzinha and M.S.F. Dinis de Almeida;
Técnicas de Inspecção de Estruturas de Betão, Engenharias 2001, UBI, Nov. 2001, Portugal.

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