Civil Engineering NDT Services

Overview

What we measure. Reinforcement mapping, hidden details, half-joints, post-tensioning investigation and section loss on metal spans. Lining thickness, voids behind linings and water paths, surveyed without coring. Construction, reinforcement and condition of walls nobody has drawings for. In-situ strength and uniformity by UPV to BS 1881-203 and complementary methods, with minimal coring. GPR and electromagnetic utility surveys aligned to PAS 128, before design or excavation commits. Slabs, walls and beams scanned for rebar, tendons and services before anyone cuts.

What we survey

Bridges & viaducts

Reinforcement mapping, hidden details, half-joints, post-tensioning investigation and section loss on metal spans.

Tunnels & culverts

Lining thickness, voids behind linings and water paths, surveyed without coring.

Retaining walls

Construction, reinforcement and condition of walls nobody has drawings for.

Concrete strength

In-situ strength and uniformity by UPV to BS 1881-203 and complementary methods, with minimal coring.

Buried utilities

GPR and electromagnetic utility surveys aligned to PAS 128, before design or excavation commits.

Pre-drilling scans

Slabs, walls and beams scanned for rebar, tendons and services before anyone cuts.

Evidence that changes assessments. A capacity assessment built on assumed cover and assumed bar spacing has to be cautious. Measured values frequently rescue capacity that assumptions threw away, and the survey costs a fraction of the strengthening scheme it can make unnecessary. Strength work follows recognised practice, including ultrasonic pulse velocity to BS 1881-203, and everything is reported with locations and confidence so your checker can interrogate it. The method detail lives on our concrete and structural integrity and ultrasonic concrete testing pages.

Below ground, before the digger. Utility strikes and unknown obstructions wreck programmes. GPR and electromagnetic tracing locate buried services to PAS 128 aligned quality levels, and the same radar finds voids, tanks and old foundations that record drawings forgot. In London and the South East this pairs naturally with our concrete scanning London team; elsewhere in the UK we mobilise from the nearest base.

Scan before you repair. That is the standing advice for every Civil Engineering client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.

Services Available Nationwide

GPR Concrete Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, rebar and mesh mapping, post-tensioned tendon detection, void detection, slab thickness and cover estimation and RAAC identification.
Ultrasonic Testing of Concrete Ultrasonic pulse velocity, pulse echo and SONREB for uniformity, thickness, delamination and compressive strength estimation where GPR alone cannot answer the question.
Concrete Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, UPV combined method and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, with independent reporting for engineering acceptance and building control.

Related Services

About NDTScan

NDTScan is a specialist non-destructive testing company based in Oxford and led by Neil Smuts. Its core disciplines are GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and in-situ compressive strength assessment, brought together in its concrete scanning and structural condition survey service. NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification. Civil Engineering and the whole of the United Kingdom are within the company's everyday working area, and all work is reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance. RAAC identification is covered on the RAAC surveys page, and steel on the ultrasonic thickness and corrosion mapping page.

Bridges and viaducts Reinforcement mapping, hidden details, half-joints, post-tensioning investigation and section loss on metal spans.
Tunnels and culverts Lining thickness, voids behind linings and water paths, surveyed without coring.
Retaining walls Construction, reinforcement and condition of walls nobody has drawings for.
Concrete strength In-situ strength and uniformity by UPV to BS 1881-203 and complementary methods, with minimal coring.
Buried utilities GPR and electromagnetic utility surveys aligned to PAS 128, before design or excavation commits.
Pre-drilling scans Slabs, walls and beams scanned for rebar, tendons and services before anyone cuts.

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Civil Engineering NDT FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

Common questions about civil engineering ndt services from NDTScan, answered by the team that does the work.

What can NDT tell a bridge assessment engineer?

Reinforcement size, spacing and cover, hidden construction details, deck and half-joint condition, section loss on metallic members and void extent, all measured without damaging the structure. It replaces conservative assumptions with real values, which often saves an unnecessary strengthening scheme.

Do you test concrete strength on site?

Yes. Ultrasonic pulse velocity to BS 1881-203, rebound hammer and complementary methods estimate in-situ strength and uniformity, calibrated with targeted cores only where genuinely needed.

Can you locate buried utilities before excavation?

Yes. GPR and electromagnetic location trace buried services and produce utility surveys aligned to PAS 128 quality levels, so design and excavation work from evidence rather than record drawings.

Do you scan before drilling or cutting concrete?

Yes, this is core work: scanning slabs, walls and beams for rebar, tendons and services before coring, drilling or sawing, so nothing structural or live gets cut.

Can everything be delivered as one model?

Survey outputs can be combined into CAD overlays and 3D digital twin models, so structural condition, reinforcement and buried services sit in one coordinated reference.