Structural Assessment
Managers, users and occupants of facilities may become concerned at the apparent signs of structural distress such as uneven floors, out-of-square door frames or the appearance of cracks.
In many cases such occurrences are not structurally significant and are the result of natural shrinkage or differential thermal movement. In some cases, however, serious structural defects are present and these are commonly caused by a number of factors such as a change of use, where the load on the structure is more onerous than the designer intended, deterioration of materials in key structural members such as corrosion in steel, or foundation problems to name a few
MESG's Built Environment Services have experience of the investigation of structural defects in a wide range of structural types including:
- Multi-storey Buildings
- Long Span Structures
- Bridges and Culverts
- Domestic Properties
- System Buildings
- NBC Structures
Our structural engineers have specific experience in the application of forensic or reverse engineering techniques, the assessment of the mechanisms of structural failure and the diagnosis of its causes.
BES have the in-house capability to undertake both on site and laboratory testing including cover meter surveys, half cell potentiometer and materials properties testing. In addition, where structural failure is traced to foundation problems, the unparalleled experience of our sister company CL Voelcker, with access to in-house drilling and laboratory services, is utilised to establish the cause of the problem and recommend remedial measures.
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