Blog

1. Soil Investigation

• Calculate the soil bearing capacity.
• Estimate the settlement of structures.
• Determine the groundwater table level.
• Estimate the lateral earth pressure.
• Establishment of construction methods for improving the condition of subsoil.

• There are two components in SI, which are field tests and laboratory tests.
• The field test will be carried out at the site to obtain the soil samples, soil strata, underground water table, and the field test result required for geotechnical analysis and correlation.
• The examples for field tests are test pits, borehole test, standard penetration test (SPT), pressuremeter test, field vane test, etc.
• For laboratory testing, samples are taken to the laboratory to find out the soil parameters such as soil cohesion, density, and friction angle.
• Common laboratory tests for SI are the grain-size analysis, soil classification test, consolidation test, and shear strength test.

2. Core Compressive Strength Test

• The core compressive strength test is the destructive test to determine the concrete strength in the direct method.
• It includes the direct extraction of core samples at the site and sending them for a laboratory test.
• The core specimens obtained will be tested under the compressive strength test.

3. Mackintosh Probe Test

• Mackintosh probe is a lightweight portable penetrometer that is used to investigate the soil bearing capacity.
• Mackintosh probe test also collects the disturbed soil sample for grain-size analysis and soil classification.
• It can be used to determine the sub-surface straits graphed, identity materials present, and estimate the soil density present at in-situ stress conditions.

4. Covermeter Survey

• An easy and cost-effective method to scan the reinforcement bars’ location, diameter, and depth from the surface.
• The cover meter is a portable pulse-induction instrument used to emit the electromagnetic pulse.
• The stronger the magnetic field produced by a reinforcing bar the closer it is to the surface, allowing a covermeter survey to determine cover depth.

5. Rebound Hammer Test

• The rebound hammer test is an on-site assessment to estimate the compressive strength of the structural elements of the building.
• It is a non-destructive test because it is harmless to the concrete.
• The surface hardness will be measured as the degree of rebound (Rebound Number).
• The compressive strength of concrete can be correlated with the rebound hammer reading.

6. Ferro Scanning

• Similar to the covermeter survey but the Ferro scan is more advance as it can provide instant results.
• Provide on-the-spot structural review, the scanned images are capture and can be displayed on the scanner’s screen.
• Scanning depth up to 200mm, but can only scan for the nearest reinforcement layer.
• A complete survey may require access from each side of the structural elements.

7. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)

• Sence cracks, voids, reinforcement bars, M&E pipelines, and the slab thickness.
• Same approach if compare with the covermeter survey and Ferro scanning, but it used radar pulse technology instead of using electromagnetic pulse.
• Can scan both metallic and non-metallic materials underneath the concrete surface.
• Can detect a maximum of 2 rebar layers from each surface side.

8. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test (UPV)

• Used to detect defects on homogenous materials such as concretes, woods, ceramics, rocks, metals, welded connection, etc.
• For concrete, UPV can detect the cracks, voids, pipes underneath, and honeycombs on it.

9. 3D Scanning

• 3D scanning is used to measure and capture the 3D image/model for a large-scale or potentially unsafe location, where on-site manual measurement may be dangerous or take time.
• It is a type of Building Information Modelling (BIM), the existing as-built can be model up by using the real data obtained.