Papworths Construction Testing Equipment

Tools and machines are an integral part of any production company and being a professional, you must know that if you don’t handle your machine well, you will end up making it a trash in a short span of time. So, if you deal with Concrete Moisture Meter and you want to increase its efficiency, you must take care of it and handle it with care. Rusted and brittle machines never give the performance that you require. In order to increase the efficiency and lifespan of your machines and tools here are the few tips that you can use and ensure long life and better functioning of the Concrete Moisture Meter (CMM). Scroll down and check out the few important tips. Modern tools including concrete moisture meters are commonly used in various industries and when handles roughly, it stops working properly. So the first thing you must do is keep the Concrete Moisture Meter safely in its case after you are done with the work. It helps in keeping the meter away from the dust, pollen and spore...

The concrete compression test is conducted to determine the compressive strength of concrete structures. In a concrete compression test, a concrete specimen is formed into a cylinder or cube, allowed to set for a period of time and then tested in a laboratory using a specially designed machine. The size of the specimen depends on where the test is conducted. For instance, 150mm cubes are the norm in European and Asian countries and in Russia, while cylinders are used in Australia and the US.  Concrete specimens are typically created and cured for 28 days on-site before being sent to the laboratory to be tested, but there are times where the testing may occur after one, three, seven, or 14 days of curing. When the specimen is placed in concrete compression test machine, pressure is constantly applied until failure cracks appear, the machine will detect the rapid drop in pressure when a break occurs.  There are different  types of concrete compression test machine...

Concrete must be tested for quality assurance. At times, it is conducted for assessing structural conditions in their final form and before performing any repairs on a structure. The compressive strength of concrete is determined as an estimate by correlating mechanical properties like ultrasonic wave velocity and surface hardness with lab-based destructive tests. Concrete strength is measured by a compression test, which will determine the ability of the material to resist loads that may compress it. Compressive strength is determined by crushing a cylindrical specimen of concrete in a compression testing machine.  The results of a compressive strength test can be used to determine if the concrete mixture delivered to the construction site is able to meet the specified strength requirements for the job. Concrete cylinders are produced and cured following the procedures indicated in ASTM C-31, and the specimens are tested according to ASTM C-39. The test results depict the ...

Concrete compression testing is a crucial aspect of the construction process. Concrete is tested to make sure that the material specified and purchased is consistent with what was delivered to the construction site. There are many different testing methods to determine concrete compression, and they typically involve the use of specially designed tools and equipment to make sure that the procedure follows industry standards.  Concrete compression tests are typically conducted in a lab. Cylinder samples are used and operators follow AS1012 to ensure the correct procedure, sampling equipment, and other tools to be used for the test. The same standard specifies the requirements for determining the indirect flexural strength of concrete by splitting, and generic flexural testing.  The concrete compression test is actually the most widely conducted testing method to determine the compressive strength of concrete. Cylinders and cube samples are typically used for the tes...

Concrete electrical resistivity is obtained by applying current into the concrete surface and measuring the resulting response voltage. Different methods for measuring concrete resistivity exist, ranging from laboratory two-electrode, four electrode and transformer methods to onsite four probe and rebar methods. The electrical properties of concrete depend largely on its moisture content. Concrete may, therefore, exhibit insulated or conductive characteristics depending on its moisture levels. For instance, a concrete sample could exhibit high electrical resistance when dry and at the same time have lower a resistance when it is saturated. Concrete also has capacitive properties, meaning it can hold an electrical charge, making it difficult to measure electrical resistance. Nevertheless, several methods and approaches for measuring the electrical resistivity of concrete are available, and of those, the four-probe method is considered the most suitable for onsite investigatio...

Half cell potential in general and technical terms, corresponds to a steady state of electrical current between metal dissolution and the equivalent reduction reaction, leading to the formation of OH- or ions hydroxyls from oxygen gas. In concrete, the dissolution zones are usually rather large (often a centimeter or more) and fixed. A current line or electric field connects the zones to areas where oxygen is reduced. For a given value of the potential, these electric fields are normal on equipotential surfaces, and can then be intersected by the concrete surface. The potential value can then be measured using a reference electrode on the surface of the concrete. Half cell potential is the parameter used or evaluating the steel reinforcement condition of the concrete. The corrosion of reinforcing steel is primarily an electro chemical process and the resulting behavior of the metal can be characterized and analyzed by determining and measuring its half cell potential. The gre...

Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing is a revolutionised non-destructive testing which can be applied on various structures. Concrete testing equipment that uses ultrasonic pulses provides faster and more accurate result. Moreover, the test can be conducted without causing any destruction or damages to the concrete element. Using an ultrasonic pulse velocity test may help save money and time at the same time because it eliminates the need to test, break, and throw away hundreds of cylinders and cubes. In an ultrasonic pulse velocity test, the material's pulse velocity is determined by the material's density and elastic properties, both of which are related to the material's strength and quality. High-quality ultrasonic pulse equipment enables a reliable and more accurate way to determine the internal properties of materials. Hence, it is useful for determining a material's homogeneity and for detecting the presence of cracks, defects, voids, and other imperfectio...

Piezometer is an instrument used to measure the pressure of fluids or ground water at a specific point. Vibrating Wire piezometers use a gland and a vibrating wire sensors to measure this pore pressure. The primary use of a piezometer is to determine the pressure of ground water at a particular point or any other fluids such as, for instance, in a digging well of an extraction plant. Since the equipment gives the instant pressure and allows the data to be logged over time, it is helpful in monitoring the fluid pressure in many applications. Piezometer are used extensively in the geotechnical industry in determining the level of ground water. This is very helpful when monitoring the ground conditions around construction or infrastructure such as tunnels. Other applications include the use of piezometer on construction sites, for gauging the ground water pressure before digging up the ground for erecting a structure.   The instrument is highly efficient in de...

The advance mention technologies have brought in a sea change to the world of construction. The ultrasonic pulse velocity tester is one such instrument, and one of the longest established non-destructive tests for concrete. It provides a general measure of concrete quality, can be used to examine cracks depths, or locate voids, delamination and bad consolidation problems within concrete.  Most importantly, the features of this test method allow an operator to examine the concrete internal structure with no surface damage or destructive testing. Irrespective of the age of the building and size, ultrasonic pulse velocity tester accurately examines the condition of the building. There are wide spread applications for this instrument. It may be used to assess the homogeneity of materials including concrete and mortars. UPV results have acorrelation to strength and moduli of materials. A relationship has been established between UPV results and the depths of cracks pe...