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SPEC ENGINEERING SERVICES provides engineering, design, and project management and inspection services to both private and public sector clients. Our firm also offers Forensic Engineering services. We own ferroscan equipment as well as a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) to scan the concrete structures. These devices are capable of capturing an inside image of concrete elements, such as walls, columns, slabs or beams in order to determine the diameter, spacing and cover of the existing steel bars. The Ferroscan and the GPR eliminate the need to perform destructive exploration on structural elements, resulting in a more accurate and more cost effective way to determine the actual reinforcement inside the concrete elements in the process of performing an accurate structural analysis of existing structures. The readings obtained by the Ferroscan can reveal the reinforcement inside a concrete element up to 3.5” in depth. The GPR can detect any embedded materials inside the concrete, not just the rebars, up to a depth of 14”. The GPR is an excellent testing choice for determining prestress cables inside slabs, AASHTO beams, and so on. 

We also have available a CTG-1T (Concrete Thickness Gauge). With the CTG, we can determine structural thickness from one side of the concrete element. The range of the concrete thickness that can be determined is from 1.5 inches up to 6 ft. This is suitable for determining slabs thicknesses as well as foundation thicknesses. Only one side is needed for access, hence eliminating the need of over-excavating, or destroying an existing slab in order to determine its thickness. This device, which uses the Impact Echo (IE) principle, can also determine internal delamination of the concrete member. 

The Non Destructive Forensic Engineering Services provided range from simple rebar identification – in order to locate them in the concrete if penetrations or inserts need to be done and the rebar cannot be cut – to a full scan analysis that determines rebar size, spacing and cover. With the information obtained, an accurate structural as-built can be made by introducing the data into a computer 3D model, thus obtaining the actual demand capacity ratios of the existing structure. The results of the computer model can tell us whether or not the structure must be retrofitted. For structural retrofit, we offer several solutions that include FRP (fiber reinforced polymers), steel frames, or combinations of both. We are capable of designing and implementing such structural retrofit. 

We can also provide concrete testing services to determine the compressive strength of cylindrical concrete specimens (ASTM C39) as well as grout (ASTM C109). By using the combined capabilities of the Ferroscan and the CTG, we are able to provide a true structural as-built of any concrete structure. Some of the equipment we have for concrete testing is a core drill machine with several core diameters available depending on the element to be tested (ASTM C42). We also have a Windsor Probe Test (ASTM C803) from NDT James, and a digital rebound hammer (ASTM C805) from Proceq. We have available the testing facilities for the curing of the elements. 

Other services available are rebar tension tests, structural and nonstructural elements load tests, FRP testing (ASTM D3039) and installation procedures. This new service provided by our company consists of structural retrofit of columns, beams, walls, and so on, as well as bridges FRP retrofitting. We can determine the existing rating of the bridge and design the required retrofit for the structural elements. 

Our company provides concrete and metal surfaces adhesion testing, and determine the bond strength capacity of patching materials or structural mortars on concrete surfaces (ASTM C1583). Pull out tests of coatings on metal surfaces (ASTM D4541) and over concrete surfaces (ASTM D7234) can also be done with our portable adhesion tester.