Inspection and Repair of Ceramic Tiling within a Building Management System

Abstract

This paper is based on an expert system for inspecting adhesive ceramic wall or floor tiling (ACT), which includes all the anomalies that may occur in ACT as well as their most probable causes. To support diagnosis, a classification of in situ inspection and testing methods is presented as well as the files that characterize them. Diagnosis tools are complemented with a correlation matrix anomaly/test method. The repair of anomalies and the elimination of their causes are supported by a classification of the repair techniques, for each one of which a characterization file is presented and by a correlation matrix anomaly/repair technique. The ACT inspection system was validated through a series of standard inspections of 155 ACT cases, also described here. Data concerning inspection, diagnosis, and repair of each anomaly type were condensed into individual anomaly files. The expert system proposed is an essential tool for the implementation of management systems for buildings, paving the way for more objective periodical inspections and for a standardization of their procedures.