Inspection and Defect Diagnosis System for Natural Stone Cladding

An inspection and diagnosis support system is proposed for natural stone cladding (NSC) on walls and pavements in order to systemize inspections and make them more objective. The inclusion of this system in a maintenance plan aims at preventing degradation of this type of cladding and its substrate. The system is based initially on the identification and classification of defects and probable causes associated with NSC. These data are used to compile correlation matrices of defects/probable causes and defects/defects and create defect forms with relevant data on each defect. The appropriate diagnosis and repair methods are then identified and classified, and correlation matrices of defects and diagnosis methods and defects and repair methods are assembled. An individual form with relevant data is created for each diagnosis and repair method. The system proposed was validated through 128 inspections of NSC, which were afterwards subjected to statistical posttreatment and analysis. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000314. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.