Inspection and Diagnosis of Gypsum Plasterboard Walls

This paper proposes an expert system to support the inspection and diagnosis of partition walls or wall coverings mounted using the drywall (DW) construction method. This tool allows the succinct characterization of the pathological situation of each DW inspected. It also eases the systematization of the inspections included in periodic maintenance actions, thereby preventing future defects. The proposed tool includes a classification of defects in DW and their probable causes. The correlation matrices between defects and between defects and probable causes complement these classifications. Finally, the diagnosis methods and the repair techniques suitable for each DW defect are classified. All the defects, diagnosis methods, and repair techniques have individual files containing their significant information. The proposed classifications were validated via standard inspections of DW in three shopping centers, four stores, a school, three offices, a gymnasium, two condominiums, a hospital, four hotels, and two restaurants.