CONCRETE NDT SERVICES

Microwave Electromagnetism Technique – 

The concrete that forms the bulk of our built environment is reaching the end of its lifespan. We are beginning to see these symptoms in the residential and commercial buildings we frequent every day. Our concrete structures are prone to:

• Crack
• Delamination
• Spalling
• Water Leakage

The condition of rebars embedded within concrete, including the extent of corrosion, cracks, expansion, and the integrity of the rebar – the presence of voids, cracks, delamination’s, and spalling within concrete.

Microwave holographic imaging (MHI) scanner technology detects and localise the source of water leakage visible symptoms emerge. Our technology can also identify shallow utilities and MEP features present behind concrete or other non-metallic material.

Schmidt Hammer (Rebound Hammer) – 

The Schmidt rebound hammer is principally a surface hardness tester. It works on the principle that the rebound of an elastic mass depends on the hardness of the surface against which the mass impinges. There is little apparent theoretical relationship between the strength of concrete and the rebound number of the hammer.

Visual Inspection – 

Visual testing is probably the most important of all non-destructive tests. It can often provide valuable information to the well-trained eye. Visual features may be related to workmanship, structural serviceability, and material deterioration and it is particularly important that the engineer is able to differentiate between the various signs of distress which may be encountered. These include for instance, cracks, pop-outs, spalling, disintegration, colour change, weathering, staining, surface blemishes and lack of uniformity.

GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) – 

GPR sends a signal and measures the reflected signal.  It is used to identify steel reinforcement and concrete cover.  It can be used to determine relative concrete slab thickness.  If a known slab thickness is used to correlate the signal strength, the slab thickness may be approximated.

Pull-off Test – 

The pull-out technique can thus measure quantitatively the in-situ strength of concrete when proper correlations have been made. It has been found, over a wide range of strengths, that pull-out strengths have a coefficient of variation comparable to that of compressive strength.

Ultrasonic Pulse Echo (UPE) – 

Ultrasonic Pulse Echo is a non-destructive testing (NDT) method for scanning sub-surface targets in concrete elements. UPE methods use acoustic stress waves to study the properties of sub-surface layers and locate defects by identifying any anomaly of acoustical impedance that is different from concrete.

Ultrasonic testing of concrete enables the detection of voids, pipes, and cracks, and also provides information on the uniformity of concrete, cavities, cracks, defects, and slab thickness. Moreover, measuring the pulse velocity reveals insights about the quality of the concrete.

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) –

UPV is used to estimate the depth of surface cracks, estimate concrete quality over large thicknesses (greater than 12 inches), estimate the extent of honeycombing, and compare the wave speed of cylinders versus field concrete for estimation of compressive strength.

Infrared Thermography – 

IR measures minor differences in surface temperature. It is used to locate grouted cells within a concrete masonry wall which change temperature at a different rate than non-grouted cells.

Profoscope(+) / Profometer –

Non-destructive measurement of concrete cover, estimation of rebar diameter and the detection of rebar locations using eddy current pulse induction as the measuring method.

Impact Echo – 

Impact-Echo can be used for plate-like concrete structural members such as slabs, slab-on-grade, concrete pavements, decks, walls and tunnel linings. Impact – Echo method used to identify

• Estimate the Thickness of thin concrete slabs and walls.
• Identify Location and Extent of Voids and Delamination.
• Detect Voids in Grouted Tendon Ducts.