Materials Technology Group

Performance and cost/benefit comparison of anticorrosive finishes for studbolts. Special purpose concrete mix development.

Specialist Laboratory Services

The company
GHD is a multidisciplinary international consultancy providing leadership in management, engineering, environmental and planning services. We have a large, integrated network of local, regional and international offices. Our staff are situated in offices strategically located throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, ensuring that clients benefit from our specialist expertise, even in the most remote areas. As established leaders in the provision of a full range of services, GHD is able to provide complete solutions to our clients requirements. GHD is committed to continuously updating its technical skills and to providing independent, innovative solutions to client needs. Our commitment comes from a professional approach to project leadership, aided by our suite of tools for controlling time, communications, cost, quality and risk. All this ensures that our clients benefit from the best technical project consulting in the industry.

Contacts
Sydney: Perth: Melbourne: Dubai: Dr Mohammad Ali tel: 61 2 9239 7100 Andrew Peek Dr Chris Weale Dave Pocock tel: 61 8 9429 6669 tel: 61 3 9278 2200 tel: 97 1 4266 6338 fax: 61 2 9239 7199 fax: 61 8 9429 6555 fax: 61 3 9600 1300 fax: 97 1 4266 6398

Corporate directory
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GHDs Materials Technology Group has an international reputation for excellence as materials engineers that is based on routine testing and ongoing research into the performance of building materials conducted in our in-house laboratories.

and a network of local offices throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

Adiabatic temperature rise and early strain development testing.

www.ghd.com.au
WA006/02

Monitoring railway sleepers using embedded vibrating wire strain guages.

Calibrating embedded corrosion rate probes.

Carbonation induced corrosion of embedded reinforcement.

Comparison of performance and durability of protective coatings for marine structures.

Concrete affected by alkali silicate reaction.

The staff of GHD Materials Technology Group, through our former association with Taywood Engineering, have been actively involved with routine testing and materials research since the establishment of our in-house laboratory in 1982. The laboratory offers a unique range of specialist testing and research and development capabilities, which are designed specifically to serve the construction and maintenance industries.

GHDs Materials Technology Group

GHDs materials testing laboratory
GHDs specialist materials testing laboratory is part of, and supports the activities of the Materials Technology Group. The laboratory has the capacity to conduct a wide range of performance based testing programs on concrete, steel and non-metallic materials such as coatings and sealants. The group aims to develop appropriate and cost effective solutions to materials related issues for material suppliers, contractors, consultants and asset managers involved in construction and asset management. The laboratory conducts testing over a wide range of fields including:

Our services
The range of specialist services that are offered by the laboratory includes, but is not limited to:-

Routine testing of concrete

Measurement of chloride, sulphate and cement contents; water permeability; water absorption/sorptivity; density; porosity and void content.

Concrete mix design

Concrete mix development for any condition of exposure, including marine, chemical and high temperatures. Heavy-weight (ballast) and roller compacted concretes.

Routine testing of coatings

Pull off tests, knife tests, elasticity, gas permeability and accelerated weathering.

Performance of concrete in harsh environments

Evaluation of concrete for chloride penetrability and diffusion; gas diffusion; accelerated carbonation resistance; water penetrability; alkali aggregate reactivity; adiabatic heat of hydration and early age thermal strain development.

In-situ testing
The laboratory provides instrumentation and technical support for field investigations, including: temperature and strain monitoring; adhesion strength and film thickness of protective coatings; corrosion condition assessment of reinforced concrete; moisture content of concrete floors.

In service condition appraisal of materials Chemical analysis, testing and performance evaluation of masonry and concrete

Evaluation of repair materials

Evaluation of concrete repair materials (cementitious and resinous) as above, plus direct tension and slant shear adhesion; abrasion resistance; chemical resistance; dimensional stability and fresh mortar properties.

Failure investigations
In addition to its in-house capabilities, the laboratory acts as a coordination centre for sourcing high technology optical and electron microscopies; x-ray analytical facilities; Fourier transform infra-red spectrometry and pyrolysis gas chromatography of polymeric materials; mineralogical/petrographic services; microbiological assessment.

Standard performance and fitness for purpose testing Specially designed weathering environments for long term fitness for purpose testing

Evaluation of concrete surface coatings

Concrete coatings evaluation: carbon dioxide and oxygen diffusion; water vapour transmission; chloride ion diffusion; accelerated weathering; chemical / acid / alkali resistance; adhesion; abrasion resistance; scratch resistance; impact resistance; crack spanning (BAM method).

Performance assessment of protective coatings for steel and concrete Performance assessment of concrete repair materials

Specialist performance tests developed in-house by GHDs Materials Technology Group

Examples of fitness for purpose tests developed by the laboratory include: cyclic salt spray and cyclic immersion resistance of coatings under tropical conditions (now Hong Kong Government standards); high temperature (80oC) salt spray resistance of drying tray coatings; resistance of heat exchanger coatings to wood drying kiln condensate; accelerated sulphate resistance testing of concrete, sodium hydroxide resistance of concrete, slurry abrasion resistance of tank linings for a gold processing plant.

NATA accreditation
National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) accreditation has been gained for a variety of test methods in:

Assessing potential alkali aggregate reactivity by CSIRO accelerated mortar bar test

Evaluation of steel surface coatings

Steel coatings evaluation: salt spray and immersion resistance; resistance to undercutting; accelerated weathering; adhesion; impact and scratch resistance; chemical resistance; cathodic disbondment; and reinforcement corrosion resistance.

Chemical analysis and penetrability testing of hardened concrete, mortar and cementitious repair materials Physical testing of protective coatings for adhesion, scratch and impact resistance

Performance of concrete admixtures

Corrosion inhibitors evaluation: efficiency by linear polarisation.

In-house research
At any one time GHD conducts a number of internally and externally funded research projects through the materials testing laboratory. These projects are generally designed to increase understanding of the long term performance of commonly used construction materials in a variety of environments including those experienced in harsh industrial applications.

Penetrability testing of coatings for water vapour transmission, carbon dioxide and oxygen gas diffusion, chloride ion diffusion Accelerated weathering tests of protective coatings for concrete and other engineering materials

Assessment of concrete aggregates

Particle size distribution; potential alkali reactivity by concrete prism, accelerated mortar bar, standard mortar bar and chemical methods.