ALPHA’s Construction Material Testing (CMT) group is equipped with the standard and modern array of material testing equipment.
Our field technicians and support staff is qualified to test construction materials to insure quality workmanship, material quality, and that proper installation practices are employed at each project. Our service helps to prevent costly failures during construction activities and time-consuming failure repairs. These capabilities are also employed to perform forensic evaluation on the failure of previously installed materials.
Our Construction Materials Testing and Inspection Services Include:
Structural Fill Soil Testing:
Field sampling and testing of fill materials during or post placement for support of a site structural building components as well as for access roadways and parking surfaces, and other architectural site installations. Typically, this includes field density testing, field proctor testing, compaction testing, and verification of soil types being placed.
Foundation Soil Testing:
Field observations, sampling and testing of soils for determination of their bearing capacity and capability to provide adequate foundation support for proposed structures. This may include the evaluation of existing soil conditions and recommendations for remediation or suitability for proposed construction.
Asphalt & Asphalt Base Testing:
Verification by observation or sampling and testing of asphalt compaction, rolling patterns, temperature, and thickness of placed materials for roadways, drives and parking areas. Typically includes testing and thickness verification for aggregate base course materials (stone) during roadway, drive and parking surface construction.
Retaining Wall Construction Monitoring:
Monitoring of site preparation and the construction of segmental retaining massive gravity, crib, gabion, cantilever, or mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. Typically this includes inspection of drainage installation and geo-composite materials installation for certification of the construction practices employed for the wall structure.
Concrete Testing:
Sampling and testing of fresh concrete for verification of material properties including unit weight, slump, air content and temperature during placement on a project site. This includes laboratory curing and strength break testing. Similar testing is performed for grout, mortar and concrete surface materials.
Concrete slab floor Vapor Emission testing is provided post curing when required for verification that vapor transmissions/emissions are below specified levels that allow for the installation of various floor coverings and sealants.
Concrete Maturity Testing:
ALPHA personnel are certified and experienced for In-Situ Concrete Maturity Measurement (ASTM C 1074). This process is the most technically advanced and the most widely adopted maturity method system for profiling temperature and estimating the strength of placed concrete. Its key attributes are:
- Accurate strength form placed concrete for improved quality control and safety.
- Real-time, on-site information to optimize workflow, reduce construction time and cost.
- Rugged, long lasting components that hold information permanently in cold weather and conditions of significant temperature swings.
Floor Flatness Testing:
Verification of floor flatness and levelness for concrete slabs. Forensic testing of subsurface conditions may also be provided when floor flatness issues exist.
Special Inspections:
ALPHA personnel possess multiple years of experience and are certified to perform typical disciplines for commercial and educational construction third-party inspections. We typically perform these services for the General Contractor to verify their compliance to the project specifications or for the project owner to verify the work performed by the general contractor and its subcontractors meets the owners’ expectation.
- Chapter 1 IBC Special Inspection Services
- Chapter 17 IBC Field Inspections
- Caissons
- Erosion Control
- Non-destructive Testing of Welds
- High Strength Bolting
- Pre-Stressed Concrete – Post Tension Tendons
- Pre-Stressed Concrete – Post Tension Slabs
- Pile and Pier Installations
- Sprayed Fire Resistant Materials
- Roadways – ABC Stone & Asphalt Placement
- Special Tests Requested by Owner or Architect
Materials Laboratory:
Alpha’s Laboratory performs the full range of materials testing services in support of our Construction Materials Testing, Special Inspections and Geotechnical Departments. Testing of soils, concrete, asphalt, and most all other materials for the determination of the bearing capacity, cohesive properties, moisture content, and other properties are performed in accordance with the respective ASTM or AASHTO procedures relevant to each project requirements.
- Proctors (Standard and Modified)
- Compressive Strength Testing of Concrete Mortar, and Grout
- Atterberg Limits
- Grain Sizes Including Hydrometers
- Triaxial Shear Testing
- Permeability
- California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
- Flexural Strength Testing of Concrete
- Aggregate Testing for Organic Impurities
- Aggregate Testing for Specific Gravity, Absorption, and Gradation
- Hydraulic Conductivity on Cohesive Soils
Contact us today and tell us about your needs. We’re happy to work together and tailor a plan specifically for you!
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