Our QC engineers oversee our site testing laboratories for routine soil and materials testing.  They are also responsible for assuring the completeness and accuracy of tests performed in our laboratory in central Cairo or in official off-site materials testing laboratories.

The technical proficiency and analytical experience applied by our engineers in evaluating test results ensures that our design recommendations are accurate and the most appropriate for a project.


SOIL TESTS

In Situ Testing

Our soil testing capabilities in the field extend to:
 
Standard Penetration Tests
Field Vane Tests
Cone Penetration Tests
Seismic Cone Tests
Dilatometer Tests
Falling Head Permeability Tests
Packer Permeability Tests
Compaction Tests
Pile Load Tests
Plate Loading Tests

Laboratory Testing

Soil samples extracted from boreholes in the field are sent to our own laboratory in central Cairo to obtain soil classification and physical and mechanical properties.  Our laboratory is fully equipped and expertly manned to perform soil and rock testing to the highest international standards.  

We routinely perform these soil tests in our laboratory:
 
Index Tests: water content determination, Atterberg limits, grain size distribution, specific gravity, and bulk density and maximum/minimum density
Strength Tests: unconfined compression test, unconsolidated-undrained triaxial compression test, consolidation-undrained triaxial compression test, consolidation drained triaxial test, point load test, direct shear test, laboratory vane test, and slake durability test
Compressibility Tests: one-dimensional consolidation test and collapse potentials test
Swelling Tests: one dimension swell test
Chemical testing for soil and groundwater samples: PH-sulfate-chloride-carbonate contents-total dissolved salts
Aggregate Tests: soundness, resistance to abrasion (using Los Angeles machine), organic impurities in fine aggregates, crushing value of coarse aggregates, alkali reactivity by chemical and rock cylinder methods, and determination of total dissolved salts, chlorides, and sulphate

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL TESTS

Our quality control professionals also assure the quality of the range of material tests we perform in our central and field laboratories:

In Situ Testing

We have the capability and facilities to determine the common properties of main construction materials in the field.  Our field testing abilities include:

Properties of fresh concrete:  consistency and workability (slump test), density, temperature, and air content.
Properties of earth fill and pavement subsoil layers:  field density (sand cone test), moisture content (speedy test), plate loading test, and Field California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
Evaluating properties of an existing reinforced concrete structural element in the field:  compressive strength by rebound test (Schmidt hummer), uniformity (using ultrasonic velocity test), cover thickness and/or the reinforcement ratio (using the Cover Meter), and loading tests

Laboratory Testing

Our central and field laboratories are equipped to carry out a range of material tests:

Cement: fineness of cement (Blain Air Permeability Test), soundness (Le chateier), compressive strength of standard mortar, setting time (using Vicate apparatus), and full chemical analysis
Aggregate:  sieve analysis, soundness, resistance to abrasion (using Los Angeles machine), organic impurities in fine aggregates, crushing value of coarse aggregates, alkali reactivity by chemical and rock cylinder methods, and determination of total dissolved salts, chlorides, and sulphate
Concrete:  compressive strength of hardened concrete samples, compressive strength and chemical analysis of concrete core samples drilled from an existing concrete element, flexural strength, indirect tensile strength, modulus of elasticity
Brick & Block Work:  check of dimensions, density, absorption, compressive strength, efflorescence
Chemical analysis of water to determine its acceptance criteria for use in mixing and curing concrete (e.g., PH-sulfate-chloride-carbonate contents-total dissolved salts)
Chemical mortar:  compressive strength, bond strength, length change, and exposure (such as to acids, oil, high temperature)
Bituminous material:  extraction of bitumen from bituminous paving mixtures, coating and stripping of bitumen-aggregate mixture, resistance to plastic flow of bituminous mixtures (using Marshall apparatus), stability of bituminous mixtures (using Marshall apparatus)
Earth fill and pavement subsoil layers:  dry density/moisture content relationship (Proctor test) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR)

Official Materials Laboratory Testing

The testing of certain materials is conducted in official laboratories.  Our QC engineers monitor and assure that each test performed off-site meets project specifications and quality standards. Tests typically performed in official materials testing laboratories include:

Petrographic test for aggregates
Petrographic test for concrete core samples
Tension test for steel
Cold bent test for steel
Abrasion test for tiles and concrete
Chemical analysis of steel
X-ray diffraction (XRD) test
Ultrasonic test for welded connections

In addition to their quality control responsibilities over our field and laboratory testing, our professional QC engineers carry out statistical analysis of test results to determine the degree of control of the works and the causes for any variation in test results.  Any identified errors or deficiencies are addressed in Corrective Action Reports, which describe the cause of the condition, the action taken to correct the condition, and the action taken to prevent a recurrence of the condition.