Laboratory Services

Standard and Specialized Laboratory Services – Concrete Materials

Field inspections and materials testing play a vital role in construction, repair and rehabilitation projects. Analyses conducted help to determine the conformance of materials to project specifications and help to prevent costly mistakes resulting from the use of substandard materials or unsatisfactory material installation. Our laboratory services provide owners, managers, engineers and contractors with critical information from analyses conducted throughout every phase of any given project.

SIMCO’s long history with materials science engineering and testing has contributed to building an extensive materials database which includes many different types of concrete mixtures for a wide range of service conditions.

SIMCO’s team of subject matter experts provides testing services for every component in concrete mix characterization (cement, fly ash, slag, admixtures, and aggregates, etc.). SIMCO’s laboratory services include the development and evaluation of concrete materials for new designs and repair and rehabilitation projects, scientific investigations, risk analyses, service-life evaluations, corrosion studies, forensic analyses and quality control testing.

SIMCO counts on its very own state-of-the-art laboratory which is certified ISO 9001:2015 and fully equipped to produce trial concrete as well as test existing materials according to all standard testing methods. Whatever the project, for new or existing structures, SIMCO’s team of highly qualified and certified technicians is flexible and experienced in performing standard and specialized concrete testing and will apply their extensive knowledge of materials to help clients with the appropriate selection of materials to ensure durable, sustainable and safer concrete structures.

 

Quality Control and Quality Assurance During Concrete Production and Construction

Inspection and testing of concrete production is crucial in ensuring high-quality civil engineering structures. That is why SIMCO has developed and implemented new design and quality assurance procedures to ensure the quality and durability of new and existing structures.

It should be emphasized that using performance-based specifications will essentially be meaningless unless diligent quality assurance and control procedures are implemented to maintain intended service-life performance. Procedures should clearly describe quality assurance testing methods, testing frequency, how the testing will be used, and ramifications of failing to meet the desired range of results.

Quality means excellence, therefore it is of utmost importance to implement appropriate standards in order to determine the level of acceptability of any concrete production. SIMCO’s team of subject matter experts has an extensive experience in conducting quality control audits on concrete, during all phases of construction, repair and rehabilitation projects.

SIMCO’s methodologies are based on a comprehensive knowledge of concrete technologies, materials science, construction and rehabilitation practices, and the requirements of concrete to meet a wide range of environmental exposure conditions.

The cornerstone of this advanced quality assurance methodology is an extensively validated numerical modeling software program called STADIUM® that can predict the time for chloride and other ions to contaminate concrete that will result in initiation of corrosion and other chemical distress mechanisms. The use of this methodology is intended to complement the fundamental principles of good design and construction practices in order to achieve durable concrete structures and to supplement conventional quality assurance testing of materials.

Our Services 

• Evaluation of technical specifications and service-life requirements
• Elaboration of quality assurance and quality control processes and procedures
• Testing of concrete during production
• Onsite Inspection and quality control testing

 

SIMCO is certified ISO 9001:2015