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

Concrete Scanning Cippenham

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Cippenham, Berkshire 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
Windsor Castle and the Thames, Berkshire

Overview

For concrete scanning in Cippenham, NDTScan offers something most scanning contractors do not: a named specialist who does the site work and the interpretation. Neil Smuts leads every Berkshire 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.

Cippenham lies in Slough Borough, and what NDTScan is asked to look at here reflects Berkshire as a whole: Thames Valley commercial estates, dense Victorian and interwar housing and the heavy concrete of the 1960s and 1970s office and hospital building boom. That mix of ages and construction types is why Cippenham work has to start with a survey that is planned for the element in question, not a generic pass with one antenna.

Most scanning companies stop at marks on the surface. NDTScan does not. Every Cippenham 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.

NDTScan will always say this to a Cippenham client considering repairs: scan first. A repair specified without a proper survey and an expert interpretation is a repair to a guess. The survey establishes what is really there, so the engineer can design for the structure that exists rather than the one on the drawings.

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

Services Available in Cippenham

  • 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 Cippenham 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 Berkshire 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 Cippenham structures.

Typical Cippenham Projects

In and around Cippenham, NDTScan is most often asked for pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, post-tension detection in suspended slabs, RAAC identification in education and community buildings, rebar and cover mapping to support engineering assessments, and interpreted investigation of existing concrete before any repair is designed.

NDTScan also covers Slough, Burnham and Langley and the rest of Slough Borough. 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. Cippenham and the whole of Berkshire 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.

Cippenham NDT Services

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

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Cippenham Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

What Berkshire clients ask before instructing a concrete scan in Cippenham, and how NDTScan answers.

Do you provide concrete scanning in Cippenham?

Yes. Cippenham is in Berkshire, 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 Cippenham is the person who writes the report.

What can a GPR concrete scan in Cippenham 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 Cippenham 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.

Do you carry out RAAC surveys in Cippenham and the rest of Slough Borough?

Yes, regularly. RAAC identification surveys are a standing part of NDTScan's Berkshire work, in schools, halls, housing and healthcare buildings. GPR is used to separate RAAC planks from conventional reinforced concrete, and the findings are reported in line with IStructE guidance so the building owner can act on them.

Is a scan really necessary before concrete repairs in Cippenham?

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 Cippenham 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 equipment does NDTScan use on Cippenham concrete scanning projects?

GSSI SIR 4000 and Mala ground penetrating radar systems for the scanning itself, the Hilti PS Ferroscan for high resolution rebar mapping in tight spaces, and the Proceq Pundit PL-200 for ultrasonic pulse velocity and pulse echo work. The choice for a Cippenham element is made by the method the element needs, and the interpretation of the data matters more than any single instrument.

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