If you are a Civil Engineer or a Quality Engineer and you are new to the field of construction and guess why? I am writing this because I am going to show you, what are the quality tests to be applied in the particular activity on your ongoing project.
This will become your guide on making your tests on your ongoing project. Like me when I was a newbie in construction, I don’t have an idea then “what are the tests to be done?” So this would be a great way to write a post for you to learn fast.
There are various tests needed in different areas of site activities whether it is in infrastructure or building projects. Infrastructure projects like road, embankment, bridge, viaduct, tunnel, dam, etc. In the building project, it has common test that is normally done which I will show in the foregoing paragraph.
So let us proceed with the following different types of quality tests in different areas of your site.
On Infrastructure & Road projects
When I was in the City Engineering Department in my home country. Our projects there were roads, bridges, school buildings, public markets, coliseum, parks but most of the projects I attended were roads like 8 kilometers long and the longest is 15 km including drainage and box-culvert.
Here are the quality tests that you will require.
1. Soil analysis – If you need to backfill a part of your road project then you will be requiring a borrow area, there you will take at least five (5) samples in different locations in order to determine the suitability of the soil. The soil test that will be done is the proctor test, California bearing ratio (CBR), atterberg limits, organic matter, etc.
2. Field density test or In-situ density test – This test can be read in this article “How to do compaction test.” Some people called it compaction test and some others called it in-situ density test, but in fact, it has similar test procedure. Here is the meaning of a compaction test “is a soil quality test used to assess the level of compaction, which can occur in the soil on a site.”
In order to determine the result of compaction the test shall be conducted further in the laboratory to get the result, where they would make further weighing the soil sample, drying it in the oven, and last calculation and then the result. A road project (rigid pavement) has different types of layers. The first layer is sub-base, the second is base course, and the last layer is the concrete pavement.
Each layer, excluding the concrete pavement has to be compacted to the required degree of compaction. The sub-base is usually to be compacted to 95 percent of maximum dry density and the base course is 100 percent of maximum dry density but please refer always on your respective specification.
3. Flexural strength – Here is the meaning of Flexural Strength “Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture, bend strength, or fracture strength, a mechanical parameter for brittle material, is defined as a material’s ability to resist deformation under load.”
The strength requirement varies depending on the specification, but here on our site, the specification says 4.6 Mpa for 28 days strength.
Quality Tests On building projects
In a building projects, there are several kinds of tests that you should expect. Our first project in Dubai was having an approximate area of 119, 000 square meters consisting of 9 buildings with one common parking. Here are the quality tests that we have done and you also might conduct these on your building projects.
1. Soil Investigation – The purpose of the soil investigation or Geotechnical investigations is to determine the surface and subsurface conditions of the project and the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the ground in order to provide the structural engineer with sufficient information for the design of the safest and practical design of foundations.
2. Plate load test – This test is sometimes taken on below slab-on-grade or on the foundation, but it would depend on your specification, this is in order to just verify the bearing capacity of soil which have been taken from the soil investigation.
3. Soil analysis (Sampling) – This test shall be done prior to compaction test in order to determine the suitability of the soil to be used for backfilling. The sampling test includes atterberg limits, sieve analysis, organic matter.
4. Proctor test – The proctor test result shall be used in the calculation of the degree of compaction or in-situ test report. That is why it is necessary to do first the proctor test prior to compaction test. Here is the meaning of proctor test “It is a laboratory procedure of experimentally determining the optimal moisture content at which a given soil type will become most dense and achieve its maximum dry density.”
5. Compaction test or In-situ density test – Compaction test shall be done at a rate given to this article the-frequency-of-various-tests. Compaction test is a soil quality test used to assess the level of compaction, which can occur in the soil on a construction site. Compaction test for building projects shall be done below footings, tie beams, and slab-on-grade, but note; if granular backfill (Engineered fill) is required below slab-on-grade you shall then compact it to 100 percent of maximum dry density.
6. Compression test of concrete – Most commonly the specification says 3 cubes will be taken for 7 days compressive strength test and another 3 cubes to be tested for 28 days to get the specified strength of concrete. These quality tests are the most common on building projects.
7. Durability test – The durability test commonly consists of; water penetration and water absorption test. The requirement for water penetration is not more than 10mm and the water absorption most commonly require not more than 20 percent.
8. Mechanical and chemical test – This test is for reinforcing bar that you are going to use on your project site which includes bending, tension test etc. Before you use the steel reinforcement, as a quality engineer or an inspector, you shall send the samples of 3 for each diameter to an approved independent laboratory.
9. Compression test for CMU – This test is sometimes mentioned on your specification. The tests include, dimension test and compression test. Three samples of each size of CMU have to be sent to approved independent laboratory.
10. Non-destructive test – This quality test shall be done on steel structure and it is usually done in the fabrication plant. The non-destructive test consists of Magnetic Particle Inspection, Ultrasonic Inspection or Ultrasonic Testing, and Water Penetrant Inspection or also called Dye Penetrant Inspection. The non-destructive test shall be performed by an independent laboratory approved by the consultant. The non-destructive test should be done if it is mentioned in the specification, if not the tests shall be done internally as per quality standard procedure of the fabrication company.
There are many more quality tests to be done in the construction project, what I wrote here are just a really important one and others shall be done during the project is in progress and in sometimes by the consultant or client’s willingness to do so.
If you have suggestions and supplements to the above quality test, you may write down in the comment box below.
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Sir, I am a fresher [completed B.Tech (civil) this year]. I want to become Quality Engr, so what should I study for that?
Tell me the study material and the knowledge I should have to become Quality Engr.
I am waiting for your advice.
Thanks .. 🙂
It’s nice that you said that civil construction should test soil. I also like how you said that they should test field density as well. My husband and I are looking into civil construction; thanks for the post.
Thank YOU ,
Nice article,
It is very useful
Welcome and thanks for stopping by.
Thanks a lot for sharing a valuable information.
Thank you for stopping by.
I don’t know much about testing materials but I wanted to find out a little bit more. I really appreciated this article about how to test things like flexural strength or bend strength. Things like this I have never really thought about before.
I have made notes on this QC thanks for the quality information.
Thank you and keep on reading.
Able to prepare method
statement and obtaining approvals for all Engineering disciplines (Earthwork,
Structural and Civil.
2. Liaising with consultant
inspector and managing technical submitting.
3. Initiating and/or closing
NCR, SOR, TOP’s
4. Expert with local
authorities’ requirement and latest building sustainability code.
5. Conducting of inspections
and managing all WIR.
6. Issuing compliance statement
with general specifications and project particular specifications.
7. Issuing MIR and audit
reports
8. Well organized, document
control and managing all logos.
9. Well organized, document
control and managing all logos.
Dear Brother,I read the SOR,TOP’s in above notes,.it is asked for a QC Engineer job opportunity
WHAT IS THE FULL FORM OF NCR, SOR, TOP?
Dear Brother,Noel -thank you so much for your guidance to fresh Civil QC Engineers.you explained nicely about laboratory test..do you have any idea about SOR,TOP’s in quality control field.
presently i am working in Oman as Civil Inspector,here my present employer is going to windup their business in oman due negative financial position.so i am looking new assignments in Civil Quality control field.please help me get a job ..thank you.
you are doing good service for public.God bless you
Thank you sir
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Please explain how to perform this tests in field with calculation. iam a new joining of site engineer…..please
DOING GOOD.. Mr.NOEL
Thank you…
Good message for fresher learning students they will get good knowledge about this thanks you for regarding information to all
Thank you 🙂
I have 1 year experience as a qc inspector in canal work, can I go for building work as a qc ?
What are the main things to focus??
Ya, why not? You’re still young. Try to gain experience from the small project.
thanks for the reply sir, i have been your follower since a long time, your blog has helped me a lot
All thanks to u 🙂
Hi Syed,
Thanks for following and thanks for being here.
Regards,
Great work sir.. Really helping for beginners like me.
Thank you. Welcome to our group 🙂
Thank you so much, your article is really helpful more of it in building project.
Hi Tina,
Welcome and thank you for reading my blog.
Kindly send all the 4 qns along with answers pages to my mail sir. ..
really too super for beginners
my mail id:
What questions Abdul?
Hi there Mr. Noel. From Mexico, I salute and congratulate you for this enlightening blog.
Best Regards: Me.
Hi Mauricio,
Thank you for the nice words and for being here.
Can You Tell Me Please How Many Samples We Take For Compaction Test ?????
Check your specification it must be written there. In our case, we have different areas so we got different numbers of tests. I cannot tell our specifications, your specifications must govern.
Hi sir how are you sir I need estimates of a high-rise building in UAE. I am also working as a civil engineer please share some, I want to just study thanks.
Thanks a lot sir ! For sharing your information with us…
Welcome..
Hello I am fresher Civil Engineer from NIT-agartala
I need a job please help me finding a job.
Did complete topics are Available in your books?….Like the one you described above…. Is there a compiled version for QA/QC? Please provide…
Thank you, very helpful.
Really informative. Try to post complete list of all test of (medium to high rise ) BUILDING PROJECT with procedure and calculation based on DUBAI/ UAE building construction ( if with video it will be appreciated )….
Thanks but what about the loads calculations?
You have to calculate the weight of the material that you will use which is the dead load and the weight of live load and the lateral load as well.
Welcome and thanks too.
Sir I want to know what is the criteria of designing a high-rise building other than small building?
It is the same design criteria whether it is hi-rise or low-rise building. You know what? You have to first get the Soil Analysis (Soil investigation) of the area where you building to be erected.
The same with the design parameters based to the locations, the zone of the area where you will use in the earthquake analysis. And the parameter properties of steel or concrete material that you are going to consider, it is also regardless of the height of the building.
But mostly, hi-rise building are the critical ones that we would concentrate in terms of design. Especially, the municipality building official will require to submit the design before they will issue a building permit.
Thank you, very very helpful article hope u can blog about your experience .
Still a newbie in construction here.
You’re welcome. Thank you for stopping by.