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

Concrete Scanning Amersham

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Amersham, Buckinghamshire 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
Central Milton Keynes from the air, Buckinghamshire

Overview

For concrete scanning in Amersham, NDTScan offers something most scanning contractors do not: a named specialist who does the site work and the interpretation. Neil Smuts leads every Buckinghamshire survey from NDTScan's Oxford base, and the report you receive is his reading of the data, not a set of marks left on a slab.

What shapes the work in Amersham: Amersham-on-the-Hill grew around the Metropolitan line station and carries a large stock of interwar and post-war construction alongside the listed Old Town. Across Buckinghamshire the recurring need is the same: to know exactly what is inside a concrete element before anyone drills, cores, cuts or specifies a repair.

Most scanning companies stop at marks on the surface. NDTScan does not. Every Amersham survey goes through careful office post-processing, where reflections are analysed, ambiguities resolved and the interpretation checked against the drawings and the element's history. The result is a record the client can design from, defend in a dispute and hand to an auditor.

One caveat applies to every Amersham project. No structural repair to a concrete element should be specified or carried out until the structure has been properly scanned and the data expertly interpreted. Repairing what has not been correctly understood risks repeating the fault, and the scan is the cheapest part of getting it right.

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

Services Available in Amersham

  • 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 Amersham 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 Buckinghamshire 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 Amersham structures.

Typical Amersham Projects

Around Amersham the instructions NDTScan receives are shaped by railway structures and station buildings and listed and historic fabric where non-intrusive investigation is the only acceptable approach. Alongside those sit the constants of every Buckinghamshire town: pre-drill and pre-coring scans on occupied buildings, post-tensioned slab investigation before any fixing or penetration, RAAC identification in schools and public buildings, and structural investigation before repair.

NDTScan also covers Chesham, Little Chalfont and Chesham Bois and the rest of Buckinghamshire. 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. Amersham and the whole of Buckinghamshire 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.

Amersham NDT Services

  • GPR Pre-Drill Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, PT slab mapping, rebar location and void detection across Amersham housing, commercial and public buildings.
  • Post-Tensioned Slab Investigation Tendon detection and full slab documentation for Buckinghamshire 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 Buckinghamshire, 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 Amersham structures.
  • Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, SONREB and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, reported for engineering acceptance and building control in Amersham.
  • Short-Notice Amersham Coverage Oxford-based team covering Amersham and the rest of Buckinghamshire. Immediate mobilisation available, with every survey interpreted and reported in full.

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Amersham Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

What Buckinghamshire clients ask before instructing a concrete scan in Amersham, and how NDTScan answers.

Is Amersham within NDTScan's normal working area?

It is. NDTScan works from Oxford across Buckinghamshire and the two neighbouring counties, and Amersham sits comfortably inside that patch. Every survey is carried out and interpreted by Neil Smuts, so the specialist on site in Amersham is the one who writes the report.

What can a GPR concrete scan in Amersham 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 Amersham 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 Amersham 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 Amersham building are reported in line with IStructE guidance, so the owner has a record that supports the decisions that follow.

Is a scan really necessary before concrete repairs in Amersham?

Yes. A repair specified without a proper scan and an expert interpretation is a repair to a guess, and it risks repeating the fault that caused the damage. The survey establishes what the Amersham element actually contains and how it is behaving, so the engineer designs for the structure that exists. The scan is the cheapest part of getting the repair right.

What do I receive after a concrete scan in Amersham?

A fully interpreted report, not a photograph of marks on a slab. The data is post-processed in the office, cross-checked and written up with clear statements of what was found, what was not found and the confidence attached to each. It is written for the engineer or contractor who has to act on it in Amersham, and it stands up to design, dispute and audit scrutiny.

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