Investing in the structural safety of existing production buildings is as important as future investments in equipment

摘要

In general, cement plants are built to last for many decades. The production buildings suffer under a heavy-duty environ­ment and must withstand heavy loads over their lifetime of at least 50 years according to the Eurocode. A regular professional inspection of the buildings is therefore essential as for equipment, to maintain a smooth and steady opera­tion. An interval for inspection of max. 4 to 6 years shall be a guideline for many cement plants. Categorising the produc­tion buildings into risk classes and preparing a masterplan for maintenance is important also for capex planning and secure production. Even in these unusual times, structural inspection and maintenance of production buildings can be performed at home and abroad. For the evaluation of damage to production buildings, a structural repair expert is needed. It is not recommended to have a quick repair of damage without a comprehensive and professional analysis. Monitor­ing, besides structural analysis, could be an option for repair/ strengthening work, in order to have the production buildings safe despite excessive damage. Hence, time and costs can be saved, if strengthening and repair can be avoided through monitoring. Even if repair with respect to strengthening is required, monitoring could be beneficial to optimise opera­tion during and after repair. To achieve the best results all four parties, owner, local plant team, consultant/designer/ structural repair expert and contractor must work as a team. Performing a structural assessment of the main production buildings is important for budgeting planning, especially in the time of corona virus, to be ahead of the market.