Maintenance of Building Components Supported on VR technology
Alcinia Z Sampaio, Augusto Gomes
Transactions on Machine Design, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2014.
DOI: 
Link: 
Abstract:
The text presents the description of a research work that has as its main objective the development of a technological tool to support the maintenance activity of buildings, with resort to new information and visualization
technologies. There were analyzed three main components of the building: roofs, facades and interior walls. A buildingâ€™s roof covering of ceramic tiles constitutes a component of its surrounding and possesses an important function in the performance of an edifice, namely in its protection against the permeation of moisture and rain water; Facade coatings play a significant role in the durability of buildings, since they constitute the exterior layer that ensures the protection of the wall against the aggressive actions of physical, chemical or biological nature; The paint coating applied to interior walls conveys their
aesthetic character, performs an important function of protection, and is exposed to agents of deterioration related to the
building use. A survey of the main anomalies that occur in these components, the respective causes and the adequate interventions, in order to plan maintenance strategies was conducted. The information collected serves as a basis in the implementation of applications using interactive visualization technologies, to support the planning of building maintenance.
During this work the basic knowledge related to the materials, the techniques of rehabilitation and conservation and the planning of maintenance is outlined and discussed in addition, methods of interconnecting this knowledge with the virtual applications were explored. The implemented prototypes were trialed in real cases. This research work brings an innovative contribution to the field of maintenance supported by emergent technology.