# Service Life Prediction and Life Cycle Costs of Light Weight Partitions
## 4 Field Survey Results and Discussion
### Deterioration Patterns in Failure Conditions  
This section presents the deterioration patterns observed in failure conditions, and examines the partition performance of collected data, specifically focusing on indicators of failure, as shown in Figures 10-12. The observed deterioration patterns indicate that the decrease in performance due to various defects is not directly related to component age but rather to different failure mechanisms that manifest themselves with varying degrees of severity, subject to the influence of design and construction flaws and other factors, including the frequency and quality of repairs during the partition life cycle. The impact of failure factors in each sample can be characterized by referring to their occurrence rate and the resultant average decrease in component performance. Calculating this effect of the different failure factors on the standard deterioration patterns will enable service life expectancy and performance level range of partitions to be determined in the case of failure conditions. This data enables an analysis of the occurrence and average performance impact of various defects across the three different partition types (hollow concrete, gypsum, and autoclaved). Table 6 summarizes results obtained for the impact of failure conditions on partition performance. Defects studied include cracks on the surface, cracks at the partition-wall junction, cracks at the partition-ceiling junction, cracks around the door frame, and the stability of electrical installations. In hollow concrete partitions, the most prevalent defect is cracks at the partition-wall junction, which is observed in 37% of the samples, with an average performance score of 80.00. The least common defect is cracks on the surface, noted in 15% of samples with an 83.33 performance score. In gypsum partitions, the most common defects are cracks around the door frame and at the partition-ceiling junction, observed in 51% and 54% of the samples, respectively, which significantly impact performance, with average scores of 73.16 and 67.73, respectively. The stability of electrical installations is also a notable issue, affecting 41% of the gypsum partitions. In autoclaved partitions, the most frequent defect is cracks at the partition-wall junction, seen in 44% of samples, with an average performance impact of 75.88. Cracks around the door frame and at the partition-ceiling junction are also significant issues, affecting 24% and 29% of samples, respectively. The comparative analysis of partition performance (Figure 13) reveals that hollow concrete typically exhibits higher performance averages across different failure types than gypsum and autoclaved partitions. This information is critical in assessing each material's durability and resilience to common building failure. Gypsum partitions are particularly vulnerable to cracking, especially around door frames and ceiling junctions, which markedly diminishes their performance. In contrast, hollow concrete partitions demonstrate relative robustness, showing fewer surface cracks and achieving better performance metrics in critical areas. Autoclaved partitions tend to show moderate susceptibility and impact, positioning them between the other types for both defect frequency and performance. This analysis highlights the need for precise construction methods to be developed and interventions that are specific to each partition type to be implemented, as this will help to mitigate prevalent defects and enhance durability. Accordingly, the selection of partition materials should consider these typical failure patterns, with specific attention to the impact that their deterioration patterns have on maintenance and life cycle performance in building design. Figure 10: Performance Degradation of Hollow Concrete Block Partitions in Failure Conditions.