Construction materials testing (CMT) is the process of testing structural materials used to build new construction or add to existing structures. At a high level, construction materials need to be tested to ensure durable and safe structures.
Beyond this, different industry players have different motivations for testing construction materials. Material producers test construction materials as a part of their QC process to ensure their product meets specifications and maintains performance, quality and consistency. Often, producers test materials in-house. City, state and federal government organizations, including state Departments of Transportation, mandate construction materials testing to enhance public safety and ensure compliance. Private capital project owners have a similar motivation to public owners. They have construction materials tested to ensure the materials meet their standards, so they can meet project deadlines and get the project outcomes they expect.
There are many different types of construction materials testing – happening on-site and in the lab. On-site – or, in the field – involves a series of tests for a fresh material. For example, wet concrete is tested in the field to verify the mix and measure how it may strengthen over time. Then, concrete cylinders are brought to a laboratory for curing and subsequent testing to verify the concrete has met the necessary strength requirements.
Beyond concrete, other construction materials that need to be tested include:
- Mortar
- Grout
- Self-consolidating concrete
- Metals
- Plastics
- Hydraulic cement
- Down hold cement
- CLSM/Flowable fill
- Proppant Ceramics
- Engineered railroad ties
Testing in the field and lab varies from material to material and depends on what characteristic you need to test. For example, you can test compressive, flexural and tensile strength of a material and measure important values like Modulus of Elasticity and Poisson’s ratio. Often, a single material requires a series of construction materials tests and a plethora of data before being able to move to the next step. That’s why many CMT labs, producers and project owners turn to CMT software to manage all of this data. Construction materials software automates how data moves through the testing workflow, from the field to the lab to the office and beyond. Today, this type of solution has become critical for labs trying to overcome the traditionally manual, time-intensive and error-prone workflow. This is a solution for the entire construction materials testing workflow – for testers, producers, and private and public project owners – that automates the process, promotes trust and transparency, and allows key stakeholders to access accurate unalterable data.
To learn more about why you need construction materials testing and how the right CMT software can help you better manage it all, contact the CMT experts at ForneyVault today. We’re here to help you learn how to implement cloud-based software tools into your workflows and streamline your overall testing process. Reach out today with questions or to discuss testing specifics for more information.