Functional Life and Structural Life

Functional Life
Functional life refers to the amount of time that an element may be
in service before it is rendered obsolete due to changes in functional
requirements, such as a change in use. The disadvantage to conbsider only the
functional life is that is possible to the structure dont support the charge along the
time and appear cracks or fell down
For exemple: A hydroeletric has the dunction of generating energy, but needs
water for this, and if the water is over, the functional life of the hydroeletric its over
to

Structural life
The structural life is the time that the structure supports the charge wich is was
designed on the project. The disadvantage to consider only the structural life is
that the structure will support the charge, but there may be a huge economy loss
because the structure will not to have function anymore.
For exemple: Using the same exemple that the hydroeletric, the structure can
suffer damage along the time.

Gustavo Gomes, Thales Murillo