Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

The walls of industrial structures subject to high internal temperatures are constructed of multiple layers to provide fire protection, temperature insulation, and the necessary structural strength. In industrial ovens the interior brick layer provides a fire‐resistant barrier and the external steel shell provides structural integrity. An intermediate insulation layer protects the exterior shell from excessive heat and controls heat loss during operations. Crushing, spalling, and cracking of the brick layer result in relatively frequent major maintenance efforts and costly loss of production time. Oversimplifications in system analysis and design misrepresent these maintenance demands as unavoidable. The problem requires indepth understanding of the strain and stress development under transient and stationary temperature‐loading conditions. A systematic analytical approach to the behavior of individual layers of an oven‐wall structure is presented. Conditions that can lead to brick destruction or even to cyclic yielding and failure of the steel shell are defined. Calculation procedures are presented for determining permissible rates of temperature change and evaluating the usefulness of gaps constructed behind the interior brick lining.

The interaction of building components is difficult to predict. In the fast‐paced industries of design and build, the time is not often allotted to research the performance of individual building components, much less the interaction of components. To exacerbate the situation, specified materials are often improperly substituted with inferior or inappropriate products. Furthermore, the quality of the delivered materials is often not checked. The use of incompatible, improper, or inferior materials typically results in performance failures, which are often never realized by the designer, contractor, and owner. This paper presents a case study of the corrosion failure of galvanized roof components in a ballasted single‐ply roof system. The case study illustrates what can go wrong in the construction of a typical facility, and what steps were taken to identify positively the cause of a particular problem prior to the consideration of a permanent repair.

Chemical deterioration of concrete foundations and floor slabs has affected residential structures in east Los Angeles County, California. Deterioration is recognized as mineral growths in and on cracked and uncracked concrete floor slabs. Field and laboratory studies indicate that the deterioration is due to water vapor transporting dissolved ions through foundation soils and overlying concrete floor slabs. Alkali mineral assemblages precipitate at the exposed concrete surface. Spalling and pitting of the concrete occurs due to high crystallization pressures. Vinyl floor tiles have peeled due to water vapor pressures and mineral crystallization. Remedial work has consisted of removing the affected slabs, and replacing them with new concrete slabs over a moisture barrier. An untried alternative to the removal and replacement repair is injection of a urethane foam beneath the affected slab. The slab would then be cleaned and cracks patched. A topical sealant would be placed over the slab.

The paper describes failures, their investigations, and repair of a 108‐in. diameter buried steel water conduit. Several circumferential breaks occurred in bells in presence of longitudinal temperature stresses, numerous defects caused by substandard pipe fabricating methods and by poor erection practices. Litigations that followed involved a number of experts whose reports often contained conflicting opinions. The purpose of this paper is to present all the aspects of this technical controversy and describe repair methods used. An assessment of AWWA publications on steel pipe design and construction is also included.

This paper presents the performance dimensions of water distribution networks. In the absence of physical models for pipe deterioration, the evaluation of different performance factors such as maintenance and operating costs, serviceability of water supply, water quality, structural integrity of mains, and system reliability, is analyzed. In particular, predictive models for pipe breakage rates are reviewed, and a method based on the Cox regression for failure time analysis is presented, along with the insightful results of its application to two large urban systems. The assessment of water main conditions requires the combination of a number of data sources, due to the difficulty in inspecting visually buried infrastructure. Descriptive, predictive, and physical analyses are performed on inventory, condition assessment, testing, and maintenance history data. The break causing mechanisms and patterns of failure are reviewed. Factors affecting breakage rates are listed, and their synergistic effect is analyzed. Forces acting on water mains during service are reviewed, along with their contribution to the break event.