Inspection, diagnostics, maintenance and repair of concrete structures are problems of high complexity which require expertise in several fields. Knowledge-based expert systems (KBES) are now being effectively applied to a variety of engineering problems. It is the authors' opinion that KBES will be a useful tool to solve problems related to durability of concrete. This is the main motivation behind the development of the BRUTUS system. Since BRUTUS is developed as an interactive computer program with a wide variety of supporting elements containing organized and systematized knowledge, the system will also be a valuable tool for training civil engineers in this field.

The BRUTUS system will transfer knowledge and technology from experts to personnel responsible for planning and performing inspection, diagnostics, maintenance or repair of concrete structures. These categories include owners of buildings and structures, consulting engineers and contractors. The use of the BRUTUS system may lead to increased service life and maintenance intervals of concrete structures thereby reducing the annual costs for the structures. Consequently, if a KBES like BRUTUS leads to better planning and performance in the years to come the need for maintenance and repair is so huge that it will represent significant savings for owners of buildings and structures of concrete and the society as a whole.

The present paper points out areas of applications of the BRUTUS system in different phases of management and repair of concrete structures. The basic structure of the complete program is outlined by means four different models. In addition, problem solving strategy and handling of uncertainty in the BRUTUS system are discussed.

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