Concrete scanning for consulting engineers

The question asked sets the survey

Checking reinforcement layout in a specific zone, locating items before an opening, or documenting the general condition of part of a structure call for neither the same density of passes, nor the same duration, nor the same deliverable. Framing the question before the visit avoids a survey that covers a lot and settles nothing.

The method itself is described on the concrete scanning page. What differs here is the use: the output has to be quotable, appendable, and able to hold up under challenge.

What a report can state

A survey documents the apparent position of detected items, their orientation, their spacing and an estimated depth, under the conditions of the day and over the areas actually examined. It also documents what could not be read, and why.

That second part matters as much as the first. A report that does not say where reading stopped suggests a coverage it does not have, and that is exactly what turns against its author.

• The areas examined, outlined without ambiguity on a drawing
• The areas out of reach or unreadable, named as such
• The method used and the conditions of the survey
• The reading limits specific to the structure encountered

What it does not let you conclude

A non-destructive survey measures neither concrete strength, nor the actual section of a bar, nor its state of corrosion. It does not say whether a structure is compliant, or whether it can take a new load.

Nor does it identify the exact nature of every anomaly. An indication flags a departure, not its cause. Complementary methods are reviewed in the report ACI 228.2R-13, and the investigation method itself is described by the guide ASTM D6432-19.

Framing an assignment with the firm

Framing works better from existing documents, even incomplete ones. Old drawings guide the reading; their absence changes the grid used and what the report can state about areas not examined.

1. 01

   State the question

   Write what the survey has to establish, in one sentence, before discussing area.

2. 02

   Outline the perimeter

   Fix the areas to cover and those left outside the assignment, on a shared drawing.

3. 03

   Choose the deliverable

   Marking usable on site, a dimensioned sketch, a map of areas, or a report with methodology and limits.

4. 04

   Anticipate what follows

   Say whether complementary verifications are envisaged, since they change the useful level of detail.

Working with the limits rather than against them

A dense reinforcement layer, a bonded covering, high moisture or access to a single face all reduce what can be read. These conditions are not execution faults: they are properties of the structure, and an honest assignment builds them into the framing.

The report then gains from describing the gap between what was sought and what could be established. That description, more than the volume of data, is what makes a survey usable in a file. It is also what lets a reader decide whether a further visit is worth commissioning, or whether the question has already been answered as far as the method allows.

Describing an assignment

Send the question to answer, the area concerned, the available documents and the expected deliverable on the contact page. Scope and conditions are stated in the quote.

Frequently asked questions