Situation
In a new construction in Vancouver, our client had suspicions about the quality of a newly constructed load bearing wall. The wall appeared to have less then the required minimum reinforcement cover in the corners, where the slab forms had just been removed. The wall was partially finished but could not be completed if the required minimum rebar cover had not been achieved across its entirety. The future complications that could arise from irregularities or inconsistencies could be severe and in that eventuality, the flaws would be traced back to the initial construction of this supporting wall.
Just like at every construction site, the survey had to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible to limit further delays to the ongoing work, minimizing the impact of the setback.
Solution
Xradar was hired to measure the rebar cover over an approx. 48 square meter (515 sq ft) area. Four high resolution grids were surveyed and processed within a several hours. The interpretation and subsequent heat map style final report was delivered within days. The results revealed that approximately 40% of the total surveyed area had insufficient cover but there were large sections identified that met the minimum requirements. Using these results the client could focus on specific areas, decreasing the time required and overall cost to repair to the wall.
