Importance of Material Testing for Life-Long Structure

Construction industry roots have grasped the world’s attention, especially in Canada. While walking by the road you can witness many construction Material Testing Edmonton projects under work, seems like every other person is looking to build something new or choosing renovation. Renovation and construction both undergo the same procedure but in renovation you just do some changes in an already constructed building whereas in construction you start from scratch.

If you choose to get into the construction business getting attracted by all that glitter stop and remember the idiom “All that Glitter is not gold”. You have to put your efforts to make coal into gold. It’s not about funds and materials, you need to have adequate knowledge of the basis of construction, same as you can’t bake a cake the first time without a recipe you need to know the ingredients and the steps that need to be followed in preparation. To give your new or renovated structure life-long stability you need to be careful about what you are using. Never ignore construction material testing for quality material.

Selection of Quality Material:

Think for a while about why we should choose quality material when the outcomes seem to be the same, after all the coating no one can guess which quality cement, brick, or asphalt was used. All quality material after finishing looks the same then why spend some extra money on getting the best material and testing it before using it? The answer is simple construction is usually a one-time project and you want it to be strong and have life-long stability that is not possible in absence of quality ignorance.

Understanding the Purpose of Construction Material Testing:

Now we know that “what you sow you reap” so quality must be our priority, but how would we know what quality material are we buying? Is the material suitable for the purpose? The answer to your worries is material testing. We can get our material tested by Material testing in Edmonton for quality check. If the company passes the material it means it is ok to work with them but if the company refers the material below average and you still use it in the structure it will show its quality with time.

Once a structure is compiled using material testing services it will give strength and stability to the building without any costly maintenance. Moreover if in the future you want to get your building renovated no one will take your project if the building was not constructed using material testing services.

CMT is required in preparing both structures horizontal and vertical. In both forms of development, material needs to be aligned with the actual design, it ensures better safety and restricts potential legal claims.

Construction material testing points out emerging quality issues, identify future risks, assist in classifying the building site, and helps in engineering-related decisions. For quality assurance material testing in Edmonton provides two types of tests, lab tests, and on-site technician tests. Both are vital and are used for determining the quality of different materials.

Material Testing Lab in Edmonton is fully equipped with modern technology and qualified technician ever ready to provide your site with the perfect ingredients that will enhance the taste of your construction recipe. Moreover, it helps you in completing the construction project on time and avoiding delay. Construction projects are time-consuming, and labor is paid on daily basis or according to the working days they spend on site. One extra day will ultimately cost the wage of all the workers working there and is considered a negative point for the Construction Company. CMT insures that the test results are prepared within time.

Various Construction Project Materials That Required Testing:

Material testing is a common practice in the construction business. It specifies the quality of the material and helps you select the best one for your project. For instance, if the quality of bricks is poor the testing company will assist you in determining their quality and will give you chance to secure your project with the replacement of substandard bricks with high-quality bricks.

Rock Testing:

Rocks are the most commonly known construction material, even the people who are out of the construction fields know that rock is a construction material. Often construction project uses rock in the foundation. In fact, in the past, people prefer rock foundations. Foundation is the basis on which the whole structure will stand, so pay extra attention to the foundation for a long-lasting structure.

Make sure the rock is approved by a civil engineer hired by reputed material testing services in Edmonton. The civil engineer visits the site and performs some tests to check what type of rock it is, there are usually three types of rock sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Measure its electrical resistivity which is a vital element in opposing electric stocks. For durability and staking test is done to insure that rock is strong enough to fight moisture. Based on the civil engineer’s result the construction company decided either to use that rock or find some other rock.

Brick Testing:

Bricks are load-bearing construction material which provides support to the project. The bricks brought up to the site for construction must be of high quality, hard and durable. Although when the structure is built and painted we can’t see the bricks, the quality of the bricks will decide whether the project will last long or face problems in near future. To determine the quality of the bricks civil engineer comes to the site to check their colors, are the bricks are properly heated, whether the shape and size of all the bricks are the same, are bricks sharp, and whether there are cracks or not. If the bricks pass the above tests then the engineer sends them to the laboratory for further quality checks.

Soil Testing:

In civil engineering soil testing revolves around the detailed analysis of the soil, and checks whether its base is either moist or dry. The skilled worker of a CMT visits the site, takes a sample of the soil from various points, and sends them to the laboratory. The purpose behind multiple sample extraction is that there are possibilities that the soil properties may differ at different points. Depending on the laboratory finding, the engineer decides to either continue the project or suggest some other place. Soil provides the base for the foundation and if the base is not properly dense the structure will either deteriorate or sink, leading to the whole structure collapse. Therefore Soil Material Testing reports are required before the commencement of the construction project. If the soil report shows any problem the construction is stopped till the soil becomes the ideal base.

Cement Testing:

Cement is another most common and widely used material in construction. It is used in large quantities during the project. A couple of tests are done on-site and then the sample is sent to the laboratory for further investigation so that to know that the cement is perfect enough to back the constructed structure. Every grain of cement is individually evaluated, and backed up with other cement analyzing methods to get high-grade cement. Once the CMT marks the cement as high quality, the on-site engineer prepares several mixtures of cement and water to check which consistency is best for long-lasting binding.

Concrete Testing:

Today concrete is an important ingredient in modern structures. Concrete undergoes multiple tests that are performed by the skilled civil engineer on-site to evaluate the quality of concrete and define its use, whether is it suitable for use or not. A slump test is required to check whether concrete goes with the design mix or not. Various comprehensive tests are done on the concrete mixture to determine its overall strength, clicks a clear picture of the possibility of cracks. At last water permeability durability test is conducted to check the durability of concrete. If all tests are clear the tested concrete is used else it is rejected.

Aggregate Test:

For pavement construction we use aggregate. The quality of aggregate decides its load-bearing capacity therefore this test holds great importance when constructing pavements. The aggregate is tested for checking its hardness, strength, shape, and water absorption. Once the aggregate is tested as quality material the construction company starts its work and uses it in its construction. The pavement constructed using high-quality aggregate last long provides a smooth drive and is easy to maintain. Various tests of aggregate are conducted to check its properties such as

1. An abrasion test is conducted to check the hardness of the aggregate.
2. An impact test is used to determine the resistance
3. Soundness test checks the resistance of aggregate in different weathers

Material Testing Services:

Material testing services provide two types of testing:

On-field Testing:

On-field testing is also commonly known as on-site testing. It takes place on the construction site. Some common tests without any use of equipment are performed by Material testing technicians in Edmonton. From bricks foundation to floor finishing the company uses them to accomplish the project. He must own good supervision and a better understanding of on-site material testing. Therefore it’s better to hire a qualified one from material testing in Edmonton. A skilled engineer can judge the quality of commonly used construction materials by visualizing them without any lab help. Listed below are the highlights of how to check construction material quality.

Stack of Bricks:

A few field tests are performed on a stack of bricks to check its quality:

1. A good quality brick is properly shaped and has a standard size having sharp edges. It should not contain any type of crack or fissures.
2. Its color must be copper red. Yellowish color brick specifies that it is not burned properly and may lack strength. However, if its color is dark blue or blackish it specifies that the brick is over-burnt and may be a little brittle.
3. Perfect metallic ringing sound must be produced by the brick when struck by any heavy object such as a hammer or another brick, the sound must not be dull.
4. When fractured it should be homogeneous without lumps.
5. When dropped from a 1-meter height on any hard surface including another brick, it must not break or crack.
6. There should be no impression on a brick when scratched with a nail of a figure.
7. A first-class brick has the ability that it does not absorb the water more than 20% of its weight (dry) when dipped in water for 24 hours.

Stack of Cement:

To check the cement quality few tests are conducted by the skilled worker of Material testing:

1. The color of cement tells its quality. For ordinary Portland greenish grey color, for Portland Pozzolana blackish grey color, and Portland Slag whitish grey color is the perfect color.
2. The cement should be in form of fine powder without any lump. Don’t use cement having any hard lump, because its quality will not be good.
3. The texture of cement should be felt smooth when rubbed in between fingers. There should be no granular feel. If you feel any granular it means there is some sand mix in it which is not good for your construction project.
4. When the paste of cement is prepared it must feel a little sticky.
5. If the hand is dipped by the skilled engineer to check the quality, if it feels cold this means it’s of good quality if it feels warm it means the quality is not up to the mark.
6. Good quality cement-specific gravity is greater than water when thrown into a bowl of water
7. Cement paste when immersed in water must not crack.

Stack of Sand:

Sand is another vital and commonly used material in a construction project. The following tests are conducted by the skilled workers of CMT to check the quality of sand:

1. The color of the sand should be golden yellow, it depicts good quality sand.
2. The sand should be pure, and free from mineral salt and all organic impurities. Good quality sand organic impurities must not exceed 5 percent of total weight.
3. The particles of sand must be angular and sharp to enhance the interlocking properties among sand particles.
4. The texture of the sand should be coarse.

Stack of Stone Chips:

The stone chips are usually tested in the laboratory but skilled workers can check the quality of stone chips on-site by visualization and perform the listed below tests:

1. Well-graded stone chips enhance the mechanical interlocking properties of stone chips.
2. The stone chips must be porous and angular.
3. Don’t use elongated and flaky stone chips in your construction project.
4. Stone chips should be free of any type of organic impurities, even the presence of 5 percent of clay mix in concrete will affect its strengthening ability up to 20 percent.

It seems like on-site tests are simple and any engineer can check the quality of the material on-field and cut the cost of material testing engineers, it’s not right!! For an authentic result, you need to have a skilled and experienced engineer by CMT Company to save your construction project from future risks.

Laboratory Testing:

For the material where on-site testing is not satisfactory. And the material required to pass out by going through a process of laboratory testing is required. In laboratory testing sample of material is sent to the lab for review and testing. Sometimes on-site tested material required furthermore authenticity so it is sent to the laboratory.

Conclusion:

Material Testing Services Edmonton is a blessing for construction companies. It gives you a better understanding of the materials and assists you in deciding whether to use particular material or not. Now you don’t have to rely on the word of mouth of material sellers. You have an authentic option of CMT that will provide you the better information on materials. If the company passes the material quality it means that the material is good for your construction project. Else it will show negative effects on your construction project with time.