Scope and aims

Structural health assessment of timber structures embraces different procedures intended to evaluate the safety and serviceability of the structure and assuring, extending or sustaining its predicted service life. Service life sustainability can be promoted at the construction stage by incorporation of monitoring systems or by providing tools and procedures that can assist experts to deliver accurate reports about the structural condition and safety of timber structures in situations when, due to visible deterioration or change of use, the viability of these structures is questioned.

Conservation and assessment of timber structures is based on a multidisciplinary approach, embracing wood properties, wood degradation, performance of joints, timber structural behaviour and timber design. This work often involves the need for reliable non destructive testing methods.

All the activities are carried out having in mind the need to provide information about the mechanical properties of timber members, the mechanical behaviour of joints and to assess the conservation problems of the structure, which is essential to a reliable structural safety analysis. The analysis will give guidance to the conservation, replacement or strengthening works needed to ensure an adequate safety level.

SHATIS'11 conference aims at bringing together researchers and professionals involved in the field, constituting a forum for exchanging experiences and discussing subjects related to the appraisal and conservation of timber structures, including innovative methods and application of new technologies for monitoring, diagnosis, repair and strengthening of timber structures.

Topics

This Conference is organized within the activity of the research project PTDC/ECM/66527/2006 "Safety evaluation of timber structures through non-destructive methods and stochastic analysis", financed by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology).