3 Ways Concrete Surveying Will Save You Money

Reducing the costs of operating and managing your concrete structure has never been easier. While most invest in the routine maintenance of their concrete structure or wait until there are outside signs of decay to repair, a comprehensive concrete survey provides insight that will allow you to maximise the money you spend on maintenance and repairs to increase the longevity of your structure.

Here’s how concrete surveying will save you money

Gain Insight Into Upcoming Repairs

A concrete survey will reveal what is happening within your concrete structure. If there is decay or damage, you will know where it is located and get an idea of how quickly the fault needs to be repaired, which allows you to plan ahead and budget for repairs as needed.

Repair Rather Than Replace

Often internal damage in a concrete structure will go unnoticed until it is visible from the outside, which is sometimes too late. At this point the concrete structure could require in-depth, costly repairs, or worse, may need to be replaced entirely.

Know Before You Build

If you are going to complete a project, concrete surveying will help guide the process and ensure there are no delays or disruptions. When drilling, a concrete survey is vital to avoid hitting any objects within the concrete. 

Do not risk the cost or damages that can arise without a comprehensive concrete survey. Save money and invest in the longevity of your concrete structure by gaining insight into what is inside and make more informed decisions.

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Three Steps To Optimize Your Concrete Structures

All concrete structures can benefit from optimization to extend their life, reduce costs on repairs, and improve its safety. Optimizing your concrete structure is not just a one-time process, it is something that you should invest in at different stages of the structure’s life — maintenance costs are always cheaper than the cost of unexpected emergencies or damages. Take these three steps to invest in the future of your concrete structure:

Survey For Current Condition

This is where all structures should begin optimization. Concrete Surveying provides insight that is otherwise undiscoverable. The survey results will reveal vital data that you can use to make future decisions and ensure the longevity of your structure. A comprehensive concrete survey will reveal any objects within the concrete — essential information before beginning any projects — and expose areas that are weakening or prone to future damages.

Repair And Rehabilitate

Once the concrete structure has been surveyed, the repair and rehabilitation process can begin. It is always more cost effective and safe to make repairs immediately, rather than waiting for the consequences to act. Whether there are cracks, settlement, or any other potential problems discovered, UDS Civils is not only trained in surveying, but also equipped to repair and rehabilitate any concrete structures to extend its life and improve soundness.  

Strengthen And Monitor

Finally, strengthening your concrete structure is one of the best ways to secure it for years to come. This will improve its resistance and secure the structure in its optimal form. It is also important to continue monitoring the concrete structure with regular analysis and testing. Anytime a fault is identified early on and cared for, there are significant savings and benefits in maintaining the longevity of any concrete structure.

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The 3 Most Overlooked Ways To Prevent Unexpected Costs

While it may seem that we are in the business of civil engineering… The truth is, we are in the business of saving property owners and managers money. UDS Civils works with businesses across every industry to analyze various facets of their current property and structures to identify weaknesses and faults.  While land surveying and leak detection are commonly utilized, there are a few ways that many are overlooking that could prevent or reduce costs in the future.

An Overhead View Of Hard To Reach Places

Not all properties are accessible by foot. Drone Surveying is the most accurate and precise way to gather vital information about a property — particularly properties with difficult to access areas or large land masses that need to be surveyed quickly. Drone Surveying gives property managers insight that ensure projects are completed the right way the first time. This keeps costs low and projects on schedule.

 An In-Depth Look Within The Walls

It is common to wait to see physical signs of decay in concrete structures before taking action to repair them; however, this is a dangerous and costly approach. In fact, many times there will be little to no signs of decay prior to a structure’s collapse. A Concrete Survey is the only way to gain data about the soundness of a concrete structure and can prevent costly repairs down the road. 

A Test Of Structure In High-Traffic Areas

Railways are designed to withstand lots of pressure, weight, and movement. Despite their sound design, even the best rail-tracks can have service interruptions or worse, long-term down time as a result of poor maintenance. A GPR Ballast Evaluation Survey is the best way to analyze the conditions of a rail-track and determine when and where repairs are needed.

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Beyond the Surface: 4 Things You May Find In Your Concrete Structures with Concrete Scanning

On the surface, concrete can be deceptive. It may look sturdy, with no cracks or signs of wear on the outside, but the inside may be a different case. Before you drill or cut into a slab of concrete, it is important to know what is inside to ensure safety and effectiveness.

1. Cables and Pipes

Two of the most common things you will encounter inside a concrete structure are cables and pipes. There may be no sign of these outside and without a prior concrete survey, there may be no record of their existence. Drilling into a concrete structure with unknown cables or pipes within can be extremely dangerous and cause further damages. For this reason, Concrete Scanning is often an essential step when completing any projects involving any concrete structures.

2. Moisture

Another internal damage could be moisture. Water seepage and moisture within a concrete structure are common issues that can make the completion of new projects difficult. By using top of the line concrete surveying equipment to assess the composition of your concrete structure, UDS Civils is able to aid in the seamless completion of your next project.

3. Utilities

Another internal damage could be moisture. Water seepage and moisture within a concrete structure are common issues that can make the completion of new projects difficult. By using top of the line concrete surveying equipment to assess the composition of your concrete structure, UDS Civils is able to aid in the seamless completion of your next project.

4. Post Tensioned Tendons and Cables

Due to the highly stressed nature of tendons, it is important that they are not damaged, either by mechanical means or corrosion. For safety reasons, it is of paramount importance that tendons are accurately located prior to any cutting, coring or drilling works being undertaken in the immediate vicinity.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can find the location and depth of tendons or tendon ducts in concrete. The survey technique is non- destructive and non invasive. GPR can also determine the tendon depth, enabling the hyperbolic geometry of the duct along the length of the element to be plotted.

Detection of tendon ducts in post-tensioned concrete can be very difficult. This is mainly due to:

• The depth of the tendon
• Often located behind at least one layer of reinforcement
• Close proximity of reinforcing steel

This means that cover meters and the Ferroscan are usually not suitable for locating tendon ducts. GPR however offers deeper penetration and better resolution. By selective scanning and processing of GPR data to produce depth slices and cross-sectioned views, it is often possible to identify, locate and map tendon ducts.

Though there may be no outside indicators on your concrete structure, cables and pipes, moisture, utilities, and post tensioned tendons and cables can be hidden within. Take the time to complete a comprehensive Concrete Scan to gain valuable insight prior to beginning a project or drilling a concrete area.