CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF THE ANGELS

CHIMBOTE
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

COURSE:
PATHOLOGY AND REPAIR IN ADOBE BUILDING

MONOGRAPHIC WORK "PATHOLOGIES IN BUILDINGS"

OF THE ABOVE

MEMBERS:

TEACHER

AYACUCHO–PERU
2017

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THANK YOU:
To the supreme God for granting me

The opportunity to be in this world

and that day by day lights up my life.

Likewise to my esteemed teachers

For sharing your teachings and having patience
with my person. To everyone that
They knew how to share their teachings.

INTRODUCTION
The conservation of adobe buildings, for the most part, immersed in the city of
Huamanga has become a warning for the people who deal with this issue.
due to the great value that represents for each of the Humanity in its use
inhabitants of the city. A considerable amount of traditional constructions has suffered
deterioration throughout its useful life. Among the causes that have led to this deterioration, there
they report: design flaws in construction, aging aggravated by lack of
maintenance, attack of climatic agents, disasters, among others. This deterioration must be
diagnosed, and rehabilitated, in such a way that the primary objective is to provide
building security. This project will focus on the development of the proposal for
structural rehabilitation, pathological diagnosis and possible interventions. Evidently
executed without professional guidance, which have been carried out over time, have led to
to its deterioration. Among these interventions, the guidance of a professional is very necessary.

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expert in this. The diagnosis is based on the study of pathologies originating from agents
internals and externals with some additional characteristics presented in this monographic work,
Additionally, describe the possible treatments that these pathologies should undergo.
OBJECTIVES
General objective.
Diagnose the different types of pathologies existing in adobe buildings.
Specific objectives.
Conduct visual inspections of the pathologies presented in the
adobe constructions.
causes. Locate and understand the damages caused by the different
factors and their possibilities.

THEORETICAL FUNDAMENTALS.

Pathology - the pathologies in constructions are studied by the branch of civil engineering.
referred to as pathologies in buildings as pointed out by CABRERA, Tatiana and PLAZA,
Eduardo
"The diagnosis of the pathologies of a building is the part of engineering that studies"
the symptoms, causes, and origins of civil works defects (1). This
diagnosis can be applied to recent constructions that were not executed correctly;
or in the case of traditional constructions, in which the aging of the
Structural elements or interventions without professional criteria have caused shortcomings
in the same ones1

Cracks.- Cracks are breaks that occur in the parts of a construction.

adobe as noted by MOYANO, Carolina and Moyano, José
It corresponds to fractures that occur starting from the window sill in the middle of
mud wall, or in corners and upper edges.

The depth of the crack will determine the level of damage. In some cases, they penetrate the
plaster. These cracks are generally vertical, they can be oblique in the case of

1CABRERA RODRÍGUEZ, Tatiana and PAOLA PLAZA CANTOS Raúl E. Monograph prior to obtaining
the title in civil engineering 'PROPOSAL FOR STRUCTURAL REHABILITATION CONSTRUCTION'
FOR THE HOUSING OF THE PLAZA AVELDAÑO FAMILY” 2014 P. 17

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construction systems earth guide wood, when the crack occurs at the meeting
with the wooden structure and depending on its position2

Cracks.-Cracks generally occur with the presence of movements.

seismic as stated by CABRERA, Tatiana and PLAZA, Eduardo

This phenomenon commonly occurs during seismic events due to the lack of a
rigid diaphragm at the joints of the corners of the adobe walls, they will behave
independently. The vibration out of the plane of orthogonal walls generally
then a concentration of tensile stress at the top of the corners,
generating cracks towards the lower area of the structure3

DIAGNOSIS
According to LÓPEZ, Fernando and others, the diagnosis and its classification is very important.
as indicated in the following paragraph.

2
MOYANO, Carolina and MOYANO, José 'Analysis of deficiencies in housing in southern Senegal' Editions
independents Monkey Bread 2004 P. 12
3CABRERA RODRÍGUEZ, Tatiana and PAOLA PLAZA CANTOS Raúl E. Monograph prior to obtaining

From the title in civil engineering "PROPOSAL FOR STRUCTURAL CONSTRUCTION REHABILITATION"
FOR THE HOUSING OF THE PLAZA AVELDAÑO FAMILY 2014 P.23

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In this phase, we will carry out the diagnosis and the classification of the importance it may have.
to the effects of gravity on the construction of
the construction of adobe is evident that all actions of the pathological process, that
we have been studying, they are important4
1.-Find the deterioration.-In general, they are all observations (inspection) of the
building, which aims to locate the injuries or damages that occur in
the areas both easy and difficult to access for the professional who performs it. It is in this
stage where data on the observed injuries is collected, which will serve as
basis for issuing subsequent criteria

2.-Determine the cause.-It is the most important stage, where under sound judgment
technicians identify the cause or causes that have the greatest influence on the pathological process.
It is considered a difficult stage, given that there are a large number of causal agents of a
pathology, which requires an experienced technical criterion as each case is particular
and must be the subject of a diagnosis.
According to Ing. PISFIL, Hugo N. The possible causes of the durability of materials are:
CAUSES OF ALTERATION OF MATERIALS DURABILITY5

4FERNANDO López and others 'manual of building pathology' Department of Technology and
Building (E,U.A.T.M) University of Madrid P.24
5Ing. HUGO N. PISFIL REQUE Virtual campus of the course on pathologies and repairs in Structures first

part available at:

Unable to access the provided link.

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INTRINSIC FACTORS.-Construction materials are elements to which they
we attribute certain qualities, such as resilience, isolation, quality, the
color, etc. Although most of the time the degradation of a material is due to
external factors, there are many cases where the causes of degradation are
mainly linked to the inherent qualities of the material. In general, these qualities
usually divided into:
INTRINSIC FACTORS
Essentials
-Circumstantial
Rubber bands
Plastics
Fragile
Porosity
We will briefly look at some of the intrinsic factors mentioned above.
Essentials are those that the material possesses at all times, as they are inherent to it.
They are usually called properties, and among them are, for example, the chemical composition of
material, its crystal structure, the shape, etc.
Circumstantial - they only manifest in response to external stimuli. Since they define the
behavior, are usually referred to as characteristics and some are mechanical resistance
or to fire and durability.

Elastic.-(Recovers its original shape) are those that after being deformed by the
action of an external force, they regain their shape and volume when the force disappears.
Plastics - they are the ones that indefinitely preserve the deformations caused by the
action of an external force. The elastic materials that have undergone the action of a
superior force to the limit we referred to in the previous section.
Fragile.- when they suffer the action of an external force, they do not become plastic but
that break. Glass is a fragile material.
Porosity of a material, that is, the holes or air-filled spaces it contains.
its interior is very important in construction.

FACTORS DUE TO EXTRACTION, MANUFACTURE AND PLACEMENT.

Regardless of the qualities of a material, its durability can be affected
altered due to errors made during the various stages of the manufacturing process of the
material.

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In summary, this type of factors affecting the durability of materials
it can be classified into four groups: derived from the manufacturing of the material, from the project
constructive, of its execution and maintenance.
1.- Manufacturing defects in the material.- Any material or construction element must
the work will arrive in its 'correct' state, that is, in a way that it possesses all the characteristics
physical, mechanical and chemical properties that are assumed, such as.

Figure No. 1

Incorrect choice of material.

Inadequate construction technique.
Defective design of the construction element.
Material incompatibility.
2.- Project Failures.- Some mistakes made during the execution of the project.
Building or any construction can also affect the durability of the materials.
The most common are the following:
3.- Execution failures.- Considering that no inaccuracies have been committed in the
project of a building, the execution errors are those that occur during the
construction of the same, the percentages of failures in adobe buildings are
they are shown in the following table No. 2 and 3

Figure No. 2

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 Figure No. 3

4.- Lack of maintenance.- Certain materials, units, or construction elements, due to

Finishes and installations require periodic maintenance for their use.
building does not affect its durability.
ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS
Physical agents.- Among the physical agents that can degrade adobe, the most important are
son: water and humidity; light; wear; fire.
Humidity.- Humidity is the occurrence of a percentage of water higher than desired in
a constructive element can manifest itself through simple stains or drips, which

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They alter the physical characteristics of the material. Five types of moisture can be distinguished in
function of its cause.

Erosion Damage.- Usually, earthen houses have a plaster whose purpose is

protect the walls from external erosive actions such as wind, human action
or animals. When this plaster does not exist or is lost due to lack of maintenance, the effect
from erosion is to decrease the net section of the wall reducing its shear strength and to
vertical loads with the resulting adverse effects.
STRUCTURAL FAILURES.
Absence of foundation.- A large number of adobe buildings are constructed without
an adequate foundation system, which facilitates the occurrence of settlements that
they weaken the main walls and decrease the capacity of the structure against the different
forces it must withstand. Additionally, the absence of a foundation contributes to the
accumulation of moisture in earth walls reducing their bearing capacity of
in a significant way and increasing its level of deterioration over time.
DAMAGES CAUSED BY SHEAR FORCES IN THE PLANE OF
ADOBE STRUCTURES.
This type of cracks occur when for some reason the failure by overturning has been controlled and
higher levels of loads such as those from wind or earthquakes cause these pathologies. These
failures are directly related to the masonry's resistance to force
cutting (4). The main factors that influence the adobe walls that are subjected to
the forces outside its plane are: - The thickness of the wall. - The quality of the workmanship in the
construction of the structure. - The quality of the mortar. - The weight of the roof, which is
directly proportional to the force of inertia. - The state of preservation of the structure.
Damage due to settlement or ground sliding occurs - generally in the
Andean rural housing, in houses that are located on the slopes of hills or on land of
sloped incline, it is necessary to carry out cutting and filling work in order to locate the
yard of the house. It is in this process where the fill part is done in the form
manual and without technical criteria, which many times yields to the weight of the housing
producing cracks that can make it uninhabitable.
Anthropological Origin Agents.-Old adobe constructions suffer from
What a mess of renovations that are not supervised by any technician, and sometimes knocking down a wall.
To unify two rooms is a strong necessity.
Solar Radiation.-Solar radiation acts mainly through ultraviolet rays.
and infrared. Ultraviolet rays do not penetrate deeply into adobe and their action is
locate on the surface.
The Rain.- The action of rain on wood produces a similar but opposite effect.
to which infrared rays are generated. The rain causes an increase in the content of
surface humidity of the adobe.

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Action of fire.- It is one of the destructive agents that no material can tolerate.
indefinitely without showing any deterioration, the reaction that the elements present
adobe depends on:
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is very necessary to know about the topic of pathologies in adobe buildings.
to understand the subject of pathologies in this area.
When a pathology occurs, it is very important to diagnose and/or evaluate.
the pathologies presented in order to subsequently provide corresponding treatments
whether prevention, repair, or change, these same things.
For those who build with adobe structures, read the NORMA E.080.
Design and construction with reinforced earth, Annex Ministerial Resolution No. 121-
2017-Vivineda Chapter IV

CONCLUSIONS
Once the monographic work titled 'pathologies in adobe construction' is completed
it has been possible to appreciate, from practice, how complex it is to diagnose and rehabilitate
both constructively and structurally a building made of adobe or
housing, especially if it concerns heritage properties (to be more specific we
we refer to the mansions).
In the process of diagnosing and proposing solutions to the pathologies, whatever they may be
construction to address (houses, perimeter fences, etc.) to address, it is important to consider
all the details of inspection, visual tests, search for the causal agents,
treatment and evaluation proposals for adobe, as this involves the technical criteria that
it will have the minimum number of errors and will provide the most appropriate solutions, not only with the
the purpose of repairing an injury, but to attack its origin and stop a pathological process that
in the worst case, it can disable a structure. If the elaboration of
records must be made with as much detail as possible (location, diagrams, photographs, etc.)
in such a way that it results in a reliable basis for the technician, who will later analyze it
the information and will propose its criterion. The sectioning of the structure into elemental parts
from adobe

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES.
CABRERA RODRIGUEZ, Tatiana and PAOLA PLAZA CANTOS Raúl E. Monograph prior to obtaining
from the title in civil engineering 'PROPOSAL FOR STRUCTURAL CONSTRUCTION REHABILITATION'
FOR THE HOUSING OF THE PLAZA AVELDAÑO FAMILY 2014

10
MOYANO, Carolina and MOYANO, José “Analysis of deficiencies in housing in southern Senegal” Editions
independent Monkey Bread 2004

FERNANDO López and others "manual of building pathology" Department of Technology and the
Building (E, U.A.T.M) University of Madrid

Ing. HUGO N. PISFIL REQUE Virtual campus of the course on pathologies and repairs in Structures first
part available at:
Unable to access the URL provided.

NORMA E.080 Design and construction with reinforced earth, Annex Ministerial Resolution
No. 121-2017-Vivineda Chapter IV

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