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

Concrete Scanning Oxfordshire

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Oxfordshire, 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
Oxford terraced housing from the air, Oxfordshire

Overview

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

Oxfordshire sits within Oxfordshire, and the work here follows the pattern of the wider county: 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 Oxfordshire, the question NDTScan is answering is what the concrete actually contains, and how much of it can be trusted.

The on-site capture is only the first step. NDTScan's value is in the post-processing: analysing reflections, cross-checking traces against each other, resolving ambiguous returns and producing a fully interpreted result. In Oxfordshire, as everywhere else, the data is worked up in the office before a single conclusion is drawn, and the report says plainly what was found, what was not found and how confident the reading is.

NDTScan will always say this to an Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.

Services Available in Oxfordshire

  • 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 Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire structures.

Towns and villages NDTScan covers in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is one of the three counties NDTScan covers from its Oxford base, alongside Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. The wider picture is on the locations page, and the methods are set out on the concrete scanning and GPR concrete scanning service pages.

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. Oxfordshire 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.

Oxfordshire NDT Services

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

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

Oxfordshire Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

The questions Oxfordshire clients ask most often about concrete scanning, RAAC identification and structural investigation, answered by the specialist who does the work.

Do you provide concrete scanning in Oxfordshire?

Yes. Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire is the person who writes the report.

What will a concrete scan tell me about an Oxfordshire building?

What the data indicates is inside the concrete and how far each reading can be trusted. A survey indicates the position and estimated depth of reinforcement, post-tensioned tendons, embedded services and voids, and estimates slab thickness and cover. For an Oxfordshire building that is the difference between a decision made on evidence and one made on the drawings, and between a repair designed for the structure that exists and one designed for the structure someone assumed.

How is RAAC identified in Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire building are reported in line with IStructE guidance, so the owner has a record that supports the decisions that follow.

Why should I scan before drilling or repairing concrete in Oxfordshire?

Because the drawings are not the structure. Post-tensioned tendons, live services and undocumented reinforcement are all commonly found where nobody expected them, and striking any of them is expensive at best. On repairs the argument is stronger still: a repair specified without a proper survey and interpretation is a repair to a guess. NDTScan's rule for Oxfordshire and everywhere else is scan first, interpret properly, then design.

What does the report from an Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire 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