Computer integrated knowledge systems for the assessment and diagnosing distress in concrete structures in Persian Gulf

The maintenance and repair of existing concrete structures in the field of civil engineering is very important and it needs engineers with broad experiential knowledge. The difficulties of structural damage assessment, diagnosing distresses and obtaining recommendations on materials and procedures for repair are sometimes more complicated. Seeking to apply a single form of knowledge representation is insufficient to handle all cases. Thus, it makes an excellent environment to develop a framework that provides a means for an engineer to use expert systems with having facility for database management system in diagnosing of structural damage problems and to be able to recommend maintenance strategies. This paper outlines proposed computer integrated knowledge-based expert systems, called SEMARECEXPERT, Bridge Slab-Expert and 4.T.K, to address the needs of diagnostic-related issues, identification and system knowledge users involved in repair and maintenance activities, such as condition assessment, material failure analysis, material selection and rehabilitation recommendations in concrete structures in Persian Gulf region. These programs are created to disseminate knowledge of the concrete distresses in Persian Gulf and recent advancements in concrete repair problems. Also, they have facility for sophisticated data management so it is coupled to an independent database management system individually for obtaining recommendations on materials and procedures for repair and rehabilitation methods.