Construction Material Testing or CMT is actually the examination of materials that are necessary to develop new buildings or structures. It also includes the renovation of existing projects or amendments to the already ongoing constructions. However, the services included in the Construction Material Testing are dependent on the project. There are different types of tests like checking the comprehensive test of a building and the water seepage test, which confirm whether the building construction is going in the right direction.
Different types of Construction Material Testing Services
There are actually two distinct types of Construction Material Testing Services. These are
1. Laboratory Testing
Laboratory Testing is needed when the results of field testing are not satisfactory. Some of the common Construction Material Testing services for labs are-
Masonry - Unit weight, testing of compression strength, tensile testing, testing of flexural strength, absorption, etc.
Soil – Bearing ratios, swell testing, standard proctor, shear testing, pH testing, conductivity, sulfide testing, etc.
2. Field Testing
In the case of field testing, the Construction Material Testing services occur at the construction site. For example –the construction of airports, roads, etc., needs field testing. It is vital to note that all of the CMT processes need to be conducted by licensed professionals.
The Construction Material Testing for field services can include the testing of steel, timber, concrete, soil, masonry, etc. In this process, retaining walls, steel objects, soil foundations, moisture retaining capacity, etc., are assessed with the aid of non-destructive approaches. You can hire the best testing engineers, chemical experts and soil and cement experts along with architects. With new and advanced developments, now you have laboratories where you can take the testing materials to get them tested before construction.
What are some of the products that must undergo Construction Material Testing?
The products that must undergo Construction Material Testing include –
Soils
Adhesives
Tiles
Bricks
Slates
Pipes
Pavers
Cement
Insulating materials
Ceramic
Masonry
Concrete
Some testing methods for different construction materials
1. Timber
Timber is one of the most widely used construction materials. It is mostly tested for moisture content on the site itself. There are two methods that CMT professionals use to test the moisture percentage.
1. Moisture meter
There are numerous types of moisture meters. However, there are two distinct categories that can help you understand the different kinds.
Pin less moisture meters: With the use of a special scanning plate, an electromagnetic wave is made to pass through the sample. The area that the plate scans shows the average reading of the moisture content.
2. Oven dry testing
In this process, the sample timber is first dried with the assistance of a ventilated oven at a temperature of 102-105°C. It leads to an accurate percentage of moisture content by drying the sample to such an extent that the weight doesn’t change any more.
Sand
One of the most common methods to test the cleanliness of sand is the silt test. In this test, the silt percentage is determined as the excess of it in the sand can impact the concrete strength.
Another method used to test sand for construction projects is the bulking test. The formula to calculate the bulking percentage is –
Bulking: difference in height between damp and saturated sand/depth of saturated sand
Is Construction Material Testing essential?
Yes, Construction Material Testing is actually vital as it determines the safety and viability of a project. Moreover, it can highlight risks that can cause issues in the near future. It can ultimately aid in making wise engineering decisions. There are slump tests, bulk tests, rebound hammer and penetration tests that are quite popular in testing the condition of any building. The right way is not just to hire a certified expert but also to check how he uses the available resources to make the building breakage-proof.
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