UKAS Accredited
Concrete Site Testing
FIND OUT MORESimtec - Diamond Coring Services
Simtec Materials Testing was established in 2007 with a workforce that already had many years of experience in the construction and civil engineering industry. Our committed and pioneering approach to standards and compliance has allowed us to build a strong reputation in the industry.
Simtec is a leading diamond drilling specialist and can offer a cost effective, quiet, non-percussive and precise way of extracting cores in materials such as concrete and asphalt for routine or investigatory testing purposes.
Our highly skilled team of diamond drillers are all CSCS accredited and are capable of precision coring and high quality re-instatement.
Simtec can offer dedicated, specialist coring engineers 24/7 nationwide.
Our reliable, professional service and exemplary safety record comes competitively priced with no minimum charge. Call us today to find out more or for some friendly advice and guidance on your requirements.
Diamond Coring Overview*
Diamond Drilling is a form of core drilling which uses a rotary drill with a diamond drill bit attached in order to create precisely measured holes. As diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material in the world, it is ideal for creating openings in a range of materials including concrete and asphalt.
Retrospective coring to retrieve test samples is a common requirement in civil engineering. Simtec offers an excellent service using state of the art hydraulic drilling equipment fitted with quality diamond-tipped core barrels of differing diameters. Reinstatement is carried out to the highest standard.
Simtec can quickly and cleanly cut holes from 100mm to 400mm to enable subbase testing such as DCP (Dynamic Cone Penetrometer) as well as retrieval of the extracted core(s) for further laboratory analysis.
*Our UKAS accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation found here. Diamond Coring* is outside of our UKAS accredited scope of works
Diamond Coring In Detail
UKAS Accredited BS and BS EN Standard Testing
Simtec can offer a wide range of Diamond Coring* testing, covering Asphalt and Concrete.
UKAS accreditation is assessed on individual tests, and Simtec endeavour to gain accreditation for most site and laboratory tests as and when there is a demand in the marketplace. We currently hold accreditation for around 60 individual test methods, and it is constantly increasing. Our schedule was recently transitioned to ISO/IEC 17025:2017.
Diamond Coring* testing carried out on extracted cores include:
Asphalt:
- Logging and photography of cored specimens
- Bulk Density and Air voids
- Maximum density
- Binder and grading analysis
- Bitumen recovery
- Bitumen needle penetration & softening point.
- Tar content
Concrete:
- Logging and photography of cored specimens
- Compressive strength of hardened concrete
- Void assessment and density
- Cement content
- Depth of carbonation
*Our UKAS accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation found here. Diamond Coring* is outside of our UKAS accredited scope of works
Services Simtec Offer
Simtec offer services in all the following disciplines and more:
- Highways and construction
- Environmental and waste management
- Water, drainage and utility works
We undertake testing of earthworks, concrete, unbound and hydraulically bound aggregates, bituminous mixtures and recycled aggregates. Additionally, we can provide a range of in-situ testing on both placed and naturally occurring materials, including diamond coring*, surface regularity, skid resistance, plate bearing, incremental loading tests, geotechnical investigation, drainage testing and dust monitoring.
Simtec provides a high-quality service from well equipped, UKAS accredited laboratories in Leicestershire.
Our laboratory testing is constantly monitored internally and regularly audited to provide the level of service expected by our clients. Our comprehensive range of tests is UKAS accredited to guarantee the quality and validity of results and subsequent test reports.
*Our UKAS accreditation is limited to those activities described on our UKAS schedule of accreditation found here. Diamond Coring* is outside of our UKAS accredited scope of works
Frequently Asked Questions
Our standard turnaround on laboratory samples is ten working days. however, we can, in most cases, provide an express service to suit the needs of your business. These are generally five, three and one day services as appropriate. Some tests take longer than others and adherence to the standards means the timescale cannot be shortened.
If no laboratory samples are taken from site we aim to get your reports to you within 48 hours but preliminary results can usually be given after the test is complete to give you an idea of compliance.
Usually a week to guarantee a slot although on occasion we can work around the client to fit in urgent jobs or last minute requests.
The size of sample depends on the material and the reason for the testing. Simtec Materials Testing can offer advice once we know the nature of the tests required. The more information you can supply, for example, client, site name, date sampled, material type, specification etc the more accurately we can advise you. A purchase order is normally required at this stage.
A call to our office will be sufficient as our staff are more than happy to provide you with all you need. Although generic method statements are written for all of our test procedures, risk assessments tend to be site/project specific and the base documents are reworked to include the peculiarities of the site in question.
The Simtec approach
Fast, accurate assurance when you need it.
We act as the grease-in-the-wheels of the construction industry, ensuring work progresses at pace with unnecessary costs avoided. Since 2007 we have established ourselves as the trusted name in construction materials testing, building a professional, practical and methodical business culture from the top down.
Our approach is simple – we believe shared knowledge is the foundation on which we all progress. That’s why we have documented and routinely share best practices with our partners and clients to minimise everyone’s exposure to risk.
Every contract we undertake is measured against the Simtec Optimum Compliance Benchmark –data consisting of best practice criteria, designed to help you achieve consistently high compliance approval and avoid cost of delay or remedial work. We’re proud that the integrity, rigour and safeguarding we provide has established Simtec as a trusted testing partner to firms across the UK’s construction sector.
