All this analysis, together with precise measurements of
the existing defects, will allow the owner-designer to take the
corresponding decisions (basically, to repair or not to repair).
Given the accumulated conservatism caused by the different
assumptions considered in the analysis, and also considering that
the design loads are defined based on the site conditions (obtained
in situ using instrumentation devices and including extreme
events), the final recommendation to the owner, and for the case
study being analysed, is to compare the detected defects with those
equivalent values (in terms of crack extension hypothesis, (2c))
gathered in Table 9 (obtained prior to the sensitivity analysis). The
rest of the values gathered in Tables 10 and 11 (including those
obtained in the sensitivity analysis) can be taken as a reference,
also showing the coherence between the loads considered and the
allowable crack sizes obtained. If the detected defects are larger
than those gathered in Table 9, repairs are required if the structural
integrity of the towers has to be ensured.