Blog posts tagged with 'Testing Insights'

Although Alkali-Silica Reactivity (ASR) has created problems in concrete mixtures for centuries, the mechanism was not understood and documented until the mid-1930s. ASR is now recognized as a significant cause of concrete deterioration anywhere in the world where siliceous aggregates are found. In this blog article, we discuss what ASR is, the effect it has on concrete, prevention, and the equipment to use for testing.

Soil is a natural material and is sometimes employed as a construction material without modification. It is crucial to understand how it performs in its original (in-situ) environment. For this article, we will examine various field tests of soil and the equipment required to perform them.

The corrosion of reinforcing steel is a significant and preventable problem that shortens the useful lifespan of concrete structures. The mechanisms for its development and how it eventually damages the concrete structures it was designed to protect have been well-known for over 100 years. Similar to progressive disease, early detection and monitoring are the most effective strategies to minimize problems. Fortunately, innovative nondestructive instruments are making it easier and more efficient to find, follow, and repair corrosion before extensive damage occurs.

Testing the properties of hardened concrete is central to evaluating a structure, whether it is decades old or still under construction. In-place testing of concrete is a significant part of assessing an existing structure's safety and physical condition for routine maintenance before modifications. This blog post will discuss in-place and nondestructive methods and equipment to measure concrete strength.

Performing geotechnical and engineering tests on soils in the field is a combination of necessity and practicality. In this two-part series, this first post looks at methods, procedures, and equipment needed for field sampling and visual classification of soils.

Asphalt binder is a fundamental and surprisingly complex component in the design of modern asphalt pavement mixes. Of the many properties of bitumen that affect its performance in a modern asphalt paving mixture, two are crucial to the long-term success of pavements, viscosity, and rheology. This blog post will explore binder viscosity tests and rheology tests, their applications, benefits, and testing equipment.

Sulfate Soundness of Aggregate, procedures for this popular test method are straightforward. In this blog post, we will discuss why the soundness of aggregate is necessary, what the procedures are when using either magnesium or sodium sulfate, and what equipment is needed to perform the test.

This blog post provides insight into test methods and testing equipment for use in concrete resistivity testing. We discuss the use of the Proceq Resipod Concrete Resistivity Meter for surface resistivity and how to perform bulk resistivity.

The amount, type, location, and movement of moisture in a concrete slab need to be clearly understood to avoid problems when placing a flooring system over it. In this blog, we take a look at the various methods and equipment to use for testing concrete for moisture.

This month's blog discusses the triaxial shear test of soil. It focuses on three different test methods, all with variable requirements based on soil types and properties of individual specimens.