This study reveals that a significant proportion of condition assessment is limited to the use of visual inspection. Since inspection based on observation is subjective, and the assessment is in great part qualitative, a lot of effort has been put into developing acceptance criteria for the assessment of reinforced concrete structures. This has resulted in extensive descriptions of condition damage and defects, including image/pictorial guides.
Using special inspection is strongly dependant on the experience and qualification of the structural inspector, and is qualitative in nature. There are no comprehensive guides with procedures to specify the need for destructive and non-destructive testing methods. Furthermore, there are no guidelines how to interpret the results of both destructive and non-destructive tests.
