The Material expertise and testing department covers a wide range of specialized services, provides Civil Laboratory & Site Inspection Services for Construction materials, like Concrete, Cement, Precast concrete units, Masonry units, Rocks, Soil, Aggregates, & Sand. UIC provides onsite and in-house testing services for materials being used in Temporary Construction Facilities, roads, bridges, tunnels airports, railways etc...

Soil is formed by the combination of rock, organic matter and pieces of minerals, air, and water. It is considered to be the skin of the earth’s crust.  The quality of soil varies depending on its composition, strength, and type. Poor quality of the soil is one of the critical issues faced by builders. Before starting any construction on land, it should be ascertained that the land is suitable for the planned infrastructure and the soil can bear the load of the proposed building, roads, etc.  Problems and errors can be greatly avoided by conducting a study on soil and site characteristics.

The quality of the soil is judged by analyzing those properties which limit a planned use. Various soil and site factors need to be determined in order to check the limitations before constructing a building or a structure. Some of these include Surface texture, Permeability, Water table, Erosion hazard and Depth of soil and bedrock. 

• Soil Sampling – ASTM D75
• Particle-Size Distribution (Gradation) of Soils – ASTM D6913/C136 / BS 1377 – Clause 9.2 & 9.3
• Modified/Standard Proctor Test (Determination of dry density/moisture content relationship) – ASTM D1557/D698 / BS 1377-4
• Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit & Plasticity Index (Casagrande) – ASTM D4318 / BS 1377-2 Clause 4.3/5
• Material Finer Than # 200 Sieve (75µm) – ASTM D1140 / BSEN 933-1
• California Bearing Ratio (CBR) – ASTM D1883 / BS 1377-4 Clause7
• Sand equivalent value of soils and fine aggregates – ASTM D2419
• Oversize Correction for MDD & Moisture Content – ASTM D4718 / BS 1377-4 Clause 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 & 3.6
• Classification of Soil – ASTM D2487, D2488
• In-situ density tests- Sand replacement method for fine, medium & coarse grained soils – ASTM D1556/1556M / BS 1377-9 Clause 2.1&2.2

Concrete is a construction material that is composed of cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate that has gravel, limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water, and chemical admixtures.  There are various methodologies for concrete testing to ensure that it maintains adequate strength and durability. If major repairs are to be executed in the concrete structure, it is often useful to check the bond strength of the material used in the concrete structure.

Mechanical and physical testing is performed on hardened concrete to determine values such as electrical conductance, the compressive strength of a concrete core, cube or cylinder and classify its durability. Mixing design trials are also carried out to ensure the concrete will exhibit values that are within the normal ranges.

• Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars – ASTM C109/109M / BSEN 445
• Air Content of Freshly prepared Concrete – ASTM C231 / BSEN 12350-7
• Bleeding test of fresh concrete – ASTM C232 / BSEN 480-4
• Water absorption for Hardened concrete – ASTM C642 / BS1881-122
• Sampling, Dimensions, Absorption & Compressive Strength Testing of Concrete Masonry Units/Hollow Blocks – ASTM C140 / BS 6073-1&2
• Determination of Flexural strength & Modulus of rupture of dimension stones (Kerbstones, Concrete flags, Beam, etc.) – ASTM C880 & ASTM C99
• Unconfined compressive strength of intact rock core specimens - ASTM D2938
• Dimension measurement, Compressive strength and Water absorption of precast Paving Blocks – ASTM C936/C936M
• Cutting of Concrete Core (Concrete coring on site) – ASTM C42
• Curing, Capping, Compressive Strength & Fracture Type Analysis of Concrete Cores in Laboratory - ASTM C39, C42 & C617
• Compressive strength of dimension stone – ASTM C170

Cement testing is performed to determine if there is alteration/loss of material when in its solid state. Methods of testing include subjecting it to a high temperature to determine loss of material, compressive strength, hand fineness among other factors to ensure that they meet the relevant international standards. 

Cement testing is performed to determine if there is alteration/loss of material when in its solid state. Methods of testing include subjecting it to a high temperature to determine loss of material, compressive strength, hand fineness among other factors to ensure that they meet the relevant international standards. 

Concrete Mix Design is a method of selecting suitable ingredients for concrete and analyzing their relative quantities for the production of concrete. The produced concrete should be made as economically as possible with minimum properties, significant workability, durability, and strength. An accurate determination of mix proportions by using computer data is usually not possible as the materials used are essentially variable and their properties are not assessable quantitatively. 

Concrete Mix is an extremely flexible building material which can be exclusively designed for strength and it may range from M10  to M100. A mix selection needs appropriate knowledge of concrete properties as well as experimental data especially for the person who is conducting the mix design. The objective of preparing a design mix is to achieve good quality concrete in the most economical way. Good quality concrete is dense, homogeneous and imparts better strength and durability

ISO/IEC – 17020

Saudi Aramco Approved

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS:

PCN, ISO 9712, ASNT Level 2/3