Adderbury's specialist NDT team. On site at short notice.

Concrete Scanning Adderbury

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Adderbury, Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties. short-notice attendance, usually within one to two working days and same day where the diary allows, from our Oxford base.

Book a Scan01865 704407
  • Level 4 UKCSS Operator
  • Interpreted and reported for engineers
  • Oxford based, UK and Europe
Henley-on-Thames church and river, Oxfordshire

Overview

Adderbury is inside NDTScan's home territory. Working from Oxford, Neil Smuts covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire as a single patch, and Adderbury projects are scanned and interpreted by the same named specialist. There is no subcontracted operator and no anonymous report.

Adderbury lies in Cherwell, and what NDTScan is asked to look at here reflects Oxfordshire as a whole: university and science campus estates, market towns with listed fabric, and sustained new housing growth around Bicester, Didcot and Witney. Wherever the work sits in Cherwell, the question NDTScan is answering is what the concrete actually contains, and how much of it can be trusted.

What separates a dependable concrete scan from a superficial one is the interpretation. NDTScan concentrates most of its effort after the site visit: reviewing every radargram, correlating GPR with Ferroscan and ultrasonic data where the element demands it, and writing a report that an engineer can act on. Adderbury clients receive that standard of work as a matter of course.

Where Adderbury clients are heading towards concrete repair, NDTScan's position is firm: the element must be scanned and the data interpreted by a reputable specialist before any repair is designed. Anything else risks treating the symptom and leaving the cause in place. The findings feed straight into the repair specification.

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

Services Available in Adderbury

  • GPR Concrete Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, rebar and mesh mapping, post-tensioned tendon detection, void and honeycombing detection, slab thickness and cover estimation and RAAC identification. Method and antenna selected for the Adderbury element in question, with the full interpreted record supplied.
  • Ultrasonic Testing of Concrete Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing for uniformity and quality assessment, pulse echo for thickness and delamination where only one face is accessible, and the combined SONREB method for compressive strength estimation. Used across Oxfordshire where GPR alone cannot answer the question.
  • Concrete Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer surveys, UPV combined method and managed core extraction with laboratory testing to BS EN 13791. Independent reporting suitable for engineering acceptance, building control and dispute work on Adderbury structures.

Typical Adderbury Projects

The work NDTScan is instructed for around Adderbury follows the shape of Cherwell: pre-drill and pre-coring scans in occupied houses and commercial units, post-tensioned slab checks before fixings or penetrations, RAAC identification in schools, halls and public buildings, cover and rebar surveys ahead of structural alterations, and investigation of existing slabs and frames before repair or redesign.

NDTScan also covers Banbury, Bloxham and Deddington and the rest of Cherwell. Every one of these areas is reached from the Oxford base without a subcontractor in the chain.

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. Adderbury and the whole of Oxfordshire 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.

Adderbury NDT Services

  • GPR Pre-Drill Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, PT slab mapping, rebar location and void detection across Adderbury housing, commercial and public buildings.
  • Post-Tensioned Slab Investigation Tendon detection and full slab documentation for Oxfordshire commercial, education and healthcare structures before any fixing, cutting or coring.
  • RAAC Identification GPR based RAAC plank identification for schools, halls, housing and public buildings across Cherwell, reported in line with IStructE guidance.
  • Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Testing UPV surveys using the Proceq Pundit PL-200 to BS EN 12504. Uniformity, delamination and strength estimation for Adderbury structures.
  • Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, SONREB and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, reported for engineering acceptance and building control in Adderbury.
  • Short-Notice Adderbury Coverage Oxford-based team covering Adderbury and the rest of Cherwell. Immediate mobilisation available, with every survey interpreted and reported in full.

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Adderbury Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

What Oxfordshire clients ask before instructing a concrete scan in Adderbury, and how NDTScan answers.

Do you provide concrete scanning in Adderbury?

Yes. Adderbury is in Oxfordshire, which NDTScan covers from its Oxford base along with Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Neil Smuts carries out and interprets the survey personally, so the person on site in Adderbury is the person who writes the report.

What can a GPR concrete scan in Adderbury actually find?

Ground penetrating radar indicates the position and estimated depth of reinforcing bars and mesh, post-tensioned tendons, conduits and services, voids and honeycombing, and estimates slab thickness and cover. In Adderbury that most often means establishing what a slab or wall contains before drilling or coring, locating reinforcement before an alteration, or characterising a structure before repair. Where GPR cannot resolve a question, NDTScan adds Ferroscan or ultrasonic methods.

How is RAAC identified in Adderbury schools and public buildings?

With ground penetrating radar. RAAC planks return a distinctly different signature from conventional reinforced concrete, and NDTScan reads that signature element by element rather than sampling a corner and assuming the rest. The findings for an Adderbury building are reported in line with IStructE guidance, so the owner has a record that supports the decisions that follow.

What happens if an Adderbury contractor drills without scanning?

Usually nothing, until it does. Post-tensioned tendons, live services and undocumented reinforcement are routinely found where nobody expected them, and striking one turns a fixing into a structural incident. A pre-drill scan in Adderbury replaces guesswork with evidence, and NDTScan's interpreted report sets out what the data indicates, at what estimated depth, and with what confidence.

What does the report from an Adderbury survey contain?

The interpreted result, not raw traces. Plans showing the indicated positions and estimated depths of reinforcement, tendons, services and voids, slab thickness and cover where estimated, clear statements of what was and was not found, and the confidence attached to each finding. NDTScan works the Adderbury data up in the office before a single conclusion is drawn, and the report says so plainly.

Concrete scanning guides

The questions behind most enquiries

How to identify RAAC

What RAAC looks like, where it was used, and what a visual check cannot tell you.

Read the guide

Scanning before drilling or coring

What happens on the day, what the marks mean, and what the contractor receives.

Read the guide

Post-tension detection

How tendons are investigated in a post-tensioned slab, and when the engineer decides.

Read the guide

Rebar scanning

Bar position, spacing and estimated cover, and what a scan cannot tell you.

Read the guide

Ferroscan surveys

What the Hilti system does well, and where radar takes over.

Read the guide

Concrete x-ray

Why radiography is rarely practical on site, and what replaces it.

Read the guide

What clients and partners say

In their words

I have worked with Neil on a number of projects and have found him to be extremely knowledgeable in the fields of concrete scanning and structural repair. His approach to the task is very structured and professional, and communication throughout the project is always open and honest. I will be working with Neil again in the future, and I would happily recommend him.

Andy HEngineering Project Manager, client. Recommendation on LinkedIn

I had the pleasure of working with Neil on a complex project involving structural remediation, where his expertise was key to our success. Neil was professional, knowledgeable, and solution-focused throughout. He worked seamlessly with the client team and brought the right attitude to every challenge.

Steven CSenior Construction Consultant, client side. Recommendation on LinkedIn

Neil is an expert in his field, with a high level understanding of concrete scanning techniques, concrete repairs, and the technology that suits. He shows a keen interest in innovation and is open to learning new methodologies. I would highly recommend Neil to those seeking his services.

Tell us about the structure.

A postcode, the element in question and what you need to do to it is enough to start. Every survey is quoted on the structure, the access and the reporting required.

Book a survey01865 704407