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

Concrete Scanning Stone

GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and compressive strength assessment across Stone, 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 Stone, 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.

Stone lies in Buckinghamshire, and what NDTScan is asked to look at here reflects Buckinghamshire as a whole: Chiltern market towns, post-war new town estates and a large stock of mid-century schools, hospitals and council housing. Wherever the work sits in Buckinghamshire, 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 Stone, 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.

Where Stone 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 Stone client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.

Services Available in Stone

  • 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 Stone 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 Stone structures.

Typical Stone Projects

The work NDTScan is instructed for around Stone follows the shape of Buckinghamshire: 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 Aylesbury, Haddenham and Waddesdon 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. Stone 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.

Stone NDT Services

  • GPR Pre-Drill Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, PT slab mapping, rebar location and void detection across Stone 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 Stone structures.
  • Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, SONREB and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, reported for engineering acceptance and building control in Stone.
  • Short-Notice Stone Coverage Oxford-based team covering Stone 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

Stone Concrete Scanning FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

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

Do you provide concrete scanning in Stone?

Yes. Stone is in Buckinghamshire, 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 Stone is the person who writes the report.

What will a concrete scan tell me about a Stone 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 a Stone 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 Stone 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 a Stone 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 Stone?

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 Stone 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 Stone 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 Stone 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