Reduce risk and maintain compliance with our specialist risk management services.
We’re proud to be a leading provider of complete life cycle risk management solutions. From ensuring asset safety and legal compliance with our thorough engineering inspections to driving operational efficiency with our specialist non-destructive testing services, (and much more in between), we’re proud of the long-lasting partnerships we have formed with our customers over the last 160 years, based on the value of our solutions.
Concrete Testing
Assess the composition of infrastructure assets with Concrete Testing solutions
Safely investigate and examine the structural integrity of infrastructure assets with our comprehensive Concrete Testing services. Depending on the requirements for your infrastructure project, our expert team can provide end-to-end solutions across concrete inspections, surveys, sampling, and analysis.
Gain critical insights into your infrastructure with Concrete Testing
Contact our experts today Contact our experts today Contact our experts today
What is Concrete Testing used for?
As part of our Structural Investigation and NDT Testing solutions, various methods of Concrete Testing can be applied to an infrastructure asset containing concrete, to help determine the composition of a structure and assess levels of deterioration.
A Concrete Test can be used to identify issues which may impact the structural integrity of concrete such as corrosion, delamination, and spalling. Concrete condition surveys can also be used to investigate what type of concrete a structure is made of, the strength of the structure and examine the condition of reinforcement layers covering rebars.
We can conduct Concrete Testing across various sectors such as:
- Highways: For bridges, buildings, culverts, barriers, and roads.
- Railways: For tunnels, viaducts, bridges, platforms, and railway lines.
- Marine and Offshore: For elevated platforms, rigs, and various marine structures.
What services can Concrete Testing be applied to?
Across our diverse range of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, there are various techniques of intrusive and non-intrusive Concrete Testing that can be applied to infrastructure assets that contain concrete.
Services which may incorporate Concrete Surveys include:
- Bridges and Structural Investigation: To determine structural integrity and condition of a structure.
- Geotechnical and Construction: To verify concrete quality during the building phase of construction.
- Asbestos Management: To survey concrete which may contain Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM’s).
- Structural Inspections and Surveys: To provide concrete samples and analysis that can support structural assessments and reinforcement surveys.
Depending on where the structure is situated, there may be several external factors which impact access such as weather, heights, water, and remote locations. We’re proud to provide a variety of Specialist Access Support techniques such as Confined Space Access, Drone Inspections, Rope Access, Suspended Working Platforms and Marine Safety systems to help investigate concrete structures and identify hidden critical elements.
Types of Concrete Testing we provide at BES Group
During the investigation and examination of an infrastructure asset, there are intrusive and non-intrusive methods of Concrete Testing that may be applied to determine the strength, composition, or deterioration level of concrete.
Intrusive Concrete Testing
Intrusive methods of Concrete Testing involve more rigorous forms testing such as extractions, drilling and chemical application.
Core Drilling and Testing:
- This is used to test the strength of concrete within a structure by extracting and examining core concrete samples, to provide visual evidence that can display aggregate size, composition, and thickness.
Chloride Content Testing:
- Involves drilling concrete to extract dust for analysis. The concrete dust samples are tested for chloride ions and sulphate levels, this can be tested chemically or by using ion-specific electrodes.
Carbonation Concrete Testing:
- This method uses a phenolphthalein indicator to spray across exposed concrete, this helps to determine the extent of carbon dioxide infiltration and assess the carbonation depth in concrete.
High Alumina Cement (HAC) Content Testing:
- Involves extracting a sample of concrete to examine and inspect for the presence of HAC concrete, which can weaken concrete over time.
Half Cell Potential Testing:
- This is used to evaluate the likelihood of corrosion, by spraying a mapped surface of concrete with a wetting agent and using a half-cell electrode to measure voltage.
Resistivity Testing:
- This method is used to assess the resistance of an electrical current or the passage of chloride within a concrete structure, using a resistivity device probe. This test should only be conducted after a half cell test and cover meter survey to avoid cell reading discrepancies. Concrete resistivity tests are provided by XEIAD Ltd, part of BES Group.
Non-intrusive Concrete Testing
- This type of testing is also referred to as non-destructive Concrete Testing, as it allows concrete to be assessed without permanent modification or damage.
Cover Meter Survey:
- This involves using an electromagnetic device to determine the depth of cover to reinforcement steel within concrete.
Rebound Hammer Testing:
- This is a non-intrusive method which uses a rebound hammer to test delamination and strength of concrete.
Rebar Scanning:
- This method is used to detect and map steel reinforcing bars which are used to strengthen concrete structures. It’s conducted by using scanning equipment such as Ferroscan, to locate and identify rebars buried within concrete.
-
- Intrusive Rebar Testing: This intrusive alternative involves removing concrete to expose reinforcement bars for inspection and tensile testing. Provided by Inspire Structures, part of BES Group.
Pull-off Testing:
- A metal component is attached to the concrete using adhesive and pulled, this is used to measure the adhesive strength of coatings or the surface strength of substrates.
Benefits of Concrete Testing services with BES Group
Structural integrity
Surveys provide valuable insights into the strength, durability, and composition of concrete structures, to ensure whether a structure is safe and highlight where maintenance is required.
Safety compliance
Our expert teams ensure that every Concrete Survey is conducted in accordance with the highest safety standards and in compliance with regulations.
Access solutions
We’re proud to have an extensive team of engineers which can utilise a variety of specialist access methods, to ensure that all infrastructure assets can be reached regardless of location or environment.
Diverse application
With our turnkey approach, we can incorporate Concrete Testing solutions across several different services and cover all aspects from inspection to analysis.
Structural integrity
Surveys provide valuable insights into the strength, durability, and composition of concrete structures, to ensure whether a structure is safe and highlight where maintenance is required.
Safety compliance
Our expert teams ensure that every Concrete Survey is conducted in accordance with the highest safety standards and in compliance with regulations.
Access solutions
We’re proud to have an extensive team of engineers which can utilise a variety of specialist access methods, to ensure that all infrastructure assets can be reached regardless of location or environment.
Diverse application
With our turnkey approach, we can incorporate Concrete Testing solutions across several different services and cover all aspects from inspection to analysis.
Our Credentials
View all our accreditationsUKAS - ISO/IEC 17025:2017
XEIAD Ltd
UKAS - ISO/IEC 17025:2017
XEIAD Ltd
Concrete Testing FAQs
What’s the difference between chloride ion testing and carbonation testing?
+
The main difference between chloride concrete testing and carbonation concrete Testing is the type of substance which is being tested. A carbonation test of concrete uses a phenolphthalein indicator, which is sprayed onto the concrete structure. This intrusive investigation will indicate the depth of carbonation.
Whereas Concrete Chloride Testing involves testing for the level of chloride content, this is obtained a taking a dust sample from the concrete structure by incremental drilling. The dust sample is submitted for laboratory analysis.
The methodology can vary between each test, but this is dependent on the structure and environment.
Why is it important to test concrete structures?
+
Concrete Testing is vital to understand the safety and condition of an infrastructure asset. Concrete can be damaged by various factors such as:
- Corrosion
- Fatigue
- Overloading
- Environment
This type of damage may cause issues such as:
- Cracks
- Delamination
- Scaling
- Spalling
- Abrasions
Concrete Testing can help identify the extent of the damage so that maintenance and repairs can be conducted prior to failure of the asset.
What's the difference between an intrusive investigation and a non-intrusive investigation?
+
An intrusive investigation directly impacts the area that is tested. For example, Carbonation Measurement requires drilling into the concrete structure to obtain a dust sample for laboratory tests to be conducted. Intrusive methods can be used alongside non-intrusive techniques for comprehensive testing.
Non-intrusive investigations inspect and gather information without disturbing the structural asset. For example, a rebar scanner can observe the depth and size of the reinforcement bars within a concrete asset, without directly impacting the concrete. Non-intrusive methods are considered quicker and more cost-effective, but they cannot offer the same level of in-depth sampling and analysis that intrusive methods provide.
What are the most common causes of deterioration to concrete structures?
+
The most common causes of deterioration in concrete are:
Overloading and impacts: When concrete structures are subjected to significant loads, they may develop micro-cracks and larger cracks. Such overloading can result from operational changes in the concrete structure that lack appropriate structural upgrades and unusual events like earthquakes.
Chemical attack: This can occur when sulfates (of sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium) that are dissolved in soil, seawater, or groundwater, permeate the concrete. These compounds react with the hydrated compounds and expand, causing concrete damage.
Fire damage: When concrete structures are exposed to high heat, they lose their compressive strength and elasticity.
Reinforcement corrosion: This occurs when the concrete’s pH is reduced to 10 or less. The reduction in the pH allows chloride ions, oxygen, and moisture into the pores and micro-cracks. This leads to the rust volume being greater than steel, which stresses the surrounding concrete, resulting in cracks, delamination and spall.
Carbonation: This occurs when carbon dioxide penetrates through the pores and micro-cracks of the concrete. The carbon dioxide reacts with the hydroxides, such as calcium hydroxide, which forms calcium carbonate. The product of the reaction reduces the pH in the concrete structure; this exposes the reinforcement bars to corrosion.
What is concrete spalling?
+
Spall is a term used to describe the fragments that fall off or break off a bigger object. Spalling can occur when the concrete structure is exposed to excess moisture, corrosion, and weathering. For example, sometimes small sections of concrete can break off a bridge due to corrosion from excessive wet weather.
What are the two types of Rebar Testing?
+
Rebar Testing can be an intrusive or non-intrusive method of structural investigation. The intrusive method for rebar testing involves physically exposing the reinforcement bars through drilling or removal of concrete, the asset is then visually inspected or scanned to examine the rebars.
The non-intrusive method of rebar scanning involves scanning the surface with scanning equipment, such as a Ferroscan to analyse the distance of the rebar and accurately measure the location and depth of the reinforcement bars.
What is High Alumina Cement (HAC) concrete?
+
High Alumina Cement (HAC) is a type of cement that is composed primarily of calcium aluminates. A high amount of alumina cement can cause issues with the concrete structures’ strength and leave it susceptible to chemical damage.
How often should you test concrete structures?
+
Concrete structures should be inspected regularly to maintain safety standards. The recommendation is to have a routine inspection every five years. Regular concrete testing will ensure the structural integrity of your asset.
Is it a statutory requirement to test concrete structures?
+
Duty holders will typically have a legal obligation to maintain and carry out concrete testing on structures if it has been made part of a contractual agreement. For example, railway companies will often have a contractual obligation to ensure structures are compliant and safe to use.
Hear what our customers have to say
We care about the journey we take our customers on, but it’s not our word you should be taking, see what our customers think of the service we provided!
“
The industry requires competence to be demonstrated, typically through UKAS accreditation, which is a prerequisite for many major clients. BES is type A accredited, which is preferred, they can provide highly objective opinions.
”
Customer
Senior Project Manager
“
The BES inspectors are way more technically competent and diligent compared to other providers. BES definitely stands out due to their strong technical competence and strong back office support.
”
Customer
Project Operations Manager
“
BES is a really disruptive force in the market, they are able to provide a variety of necessary services to their customers and none of the other big players are able to provide that breadth of services.
”
Industry competitor
“
Some of the other international players don’t even have nationwide coverage. BES was able to offer us local resources across the country for our complex operations, there is no other provider that could give us that.
”
Customer
Project Manager
“
We have been with BES for the past 5 years and don’t plan on switching providers. They are very flexible with their services and are able to bring the best inspectors who can deal with on the ground challenges and build real relationships with clients.
”
Customer
Global Technical Services Manager
Discover our related services
Asset Reliability
Infrastructure Engineering Solutions
Specialist Access Services
Structural Inspections and Surveys
Structural Investigations, Testing and NDT
Inspection
Our sectors
View our sectors
Contact us today!
