Characterization and Monitoring

Abstract

For a perfect outcome of the strengthening operations, several aspects should be taken into account, mainly related to the phases of implementation of works, which are detailed below.

Structural strengthening systems with composite materials should comply with strict requirements of certification and assessment, starting from the phase of design up to that of inspection. The designer is actually the one who first determines the type of material to be used and makes a selection between a “Type A” and a “Type B” system, a choice which, as with many others, must be confirmed and verified by all the technical and professional stakeholders of the work all the way until the final inspection of the structures themselves. The technical regulations on the matter, starting from CNR-DT 200/2004, provide specific verification and certification procedures on materials and their lay-up and, above all, the guidelines of the General Assembly of the Higher Council for Public Works introduces the mandatory nature of checking the used materials, stating that the collection and preparation of samplings should take place under the supervision of the site manager, who will then have to deliver the samplings to a certified laboratory for the experimental tests and subsequent certification. The guidelines also specify that the labeling and description of the composites for structural strengthening are still not officially regulated by a common European regulation providing also a CE label, though specific technologies renowned for their effectiveness can be used as references to assure a level of safety equal to that provided for traditional materials in the decree in force on the Technical Regulations for Construction.

This chapter analyzes the main provisions contained in the technical regulations currently in force on the systems of verification and certification necessary for the realization of reinforcement with composite materials.