Papworths Construction Testing Equipment

Paint thickness gauges are widely used to measure the thickness of the paint coat on any surface. Mostly their application is industrial, with the widest range of uses arising in the construction industry. They are used for compliance purposes, measuring coating thickness on materials and many other uses. There are many types of paint gauges available in the market. What works best for your application needs to be carefully selected. Here is an overview of types and applications of paint thickness gauge . Types of gauges While these gauges cannot be distinctively classified into categories, there are certain variants available which help in measuring the thickness of the coating on different surfaces. The digital gauge is popular due to its ease of use and direct output. One can place this device on the surface to be measured for thickness and get the results on the LED screen as a convenient read-out with preferred units of measurement. The second kind of thickness gaug...

California Bearing Ration is the test which is carried out, in a very indirect way, to find out the thickness of pavements and layers in road construction. The principle lies in using a penetration equipment on a prepared soil sample and then taking ratios of it with a standard value; this results in an empirical curve which is then analysed to work out the thickness of pavements. In this blogpost, you will get to know the basic procedure of California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test . Procedure: ·          Weigh the empty mould for accurate results. ·          Assemble the mould and attach the collar over it. ·          Add water to the specimen and start compaction as per the Standard Proctor or the Modified Proctor test. ·          When compaction is complete, remove the collar and use a cutting edge to level off t...

Laboratory ovens are designed and built for drying a range of materials like concrete, rock, soil, asphalt, and aggregates. They come in various litre capacities, with temperatures control ranging from ambient to 250°C. The interior of a high-quality soil drying oven is made from stainless steel , and the exterior is crafted from sheet steel then finished in a powder-coated paint. It functions with forced convection or fan-circulation and is equipped with an analogue over-temperature protection thermostat and a digital control unit for direct reading. Proper usage and safety precautions must be observed when using a soil drying oven, as it poses health and fire hazards to users and its immediate surroundings. The following are some of the hazards you must be aware of: Health hazard – Volatilised substances can pose chronic or acute respiratory hazards. Burn hazard – The oven chamber becomes extremely hot, causing surfaces and materials to be dangerous when ...

A pull-off tester measures coating adhesion to rigid substances like wood, concrete, and metal. It relies on a hydraulic system to pull away a test disk which is glued to the substrate material. The tester records the force applied when failure occurs. The pull off adhesion tester is widely used in quality assurance in construction to save time, as it is a reliable means to make sure that there is enough adhesion between the substrate and the coating. Here’s how the device works: Manual mode - The tester is available in both automatic and manual modes. The manual hydraulic pump applies continuous and smooth pressure using a single stroke. Use the pull rate indicator to monitor and adjust the rate of pull manually. The internal memory can store the maximum pull-off pressure, test duration, rate of pull, and the dolly size for a maximum of 200 pulls. A manual pull off adhesion tester is compatible with PosiSoft software , so you can interpre...

The purpose of the direct shear test is to find soil’s shearing strength. A special type of apparatus is required to evaluate sandy soil’s shearing strength, which will help predict the material’s suitability for building foundations and for supporting retaining walls, slab bridges, sheet piling, and pipes. The test should also be able to identify the value of internal friction’s angle and soil cohesion when designing structures. One of the most advanced direct shear test apparatus is an automatic direct and residual shear testing machine , which comes with a carriage assembly, load hanger, and the integral 10:1, 11:1, and 9:1 lever loading device. A high-end direct shear test apparatus is designed to be floor mounted and motorised. A beam loading device is supplied to strengthen the shear box assembly’s vertical load, and it can handle up to 50kg. The total load on the specimen can reach up to 5kM. The machine is compatible with various round and square shear box assemblies,...

The Los Angeles test determines the rate of degradation of the mineral aggregates of a standard grading as a result of the combination of actions including abrasion, grinding, and impact. It is conducted with a steel drum, which can be rotated and contains a specific amount of steel spheres. A Los Angeles abrasion testing machine is a conventional method for indicating abrasion characteristics and aggregate toughness. To produce high-quality Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) it is crucial to identify aggregate abrasion characteristics by ensuring the constituent aggregate can resist disintegration, crushing, and degradation. The performance of aggregates must be determined before they are used in road base applications and paving. The Los Angeles abrasion machine evaluates resistance to wearing and fragmentation caused by friction. A sample of the aggregate is placed in a drum and tumbled inside for a fixed amount of revolutions. High-quality testing machinery comes with a safety stop on t...

The Schmidt Hammer is a valuable instrument for testing concrete. Inside the hammer is a sensor that measures the rebound value of the test impact with repeatability and high resolution. The hammer is also known as a ‘rebound hammer’, with ‘rebound’ pertaining to the effective, non-destructive way to measure the compressive strength of concrete to within a 20 percent range, and the control of uniform concrete quality in prefabricated structures and in-situ concrete. Certain steps must be followed to ensure accuracy and proper use of the Schmidt Hammer . Here are some of the guidelines to consider: Refer to ASTM C805-13 – The standard test method with a Schmidt hammer is listed under ASTM. The latest standard provides the procedures for the test method for rebound number of hardened concrete.   Calibrate the hammer – A good supplier offers equipment with calibration certificates and recalibration services.   Make sure the concrete i...