Post by L.M.C. Materials Testing LLC (LMC)

Behind every successful structural evaluation is a careful, methodical approach to understanding what is already in place. At 3-50 St. Nicholas Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, the LMC Materials Testing team recently performed GPR scanning of CMU walls within a stairwell prior to extracting in-place prisms for compression testing. Before any masonry samples are removed, GPR is used to scan the CMU walls and identify embedded reinforcement, conduit, and other concealed elements. This step allows the team to safely select extraction locations that avoid critical components while ensuring the samples accurately represent the wall's construction. Once suitable areas are identified, in-place prisms are carefully extracted directly from the existing CMU wall assembly. These samples preserve the actual field conditions, including block, mortar, grout, and workmanship, providing a reliable basis for compressive strength testing and structural evaluation. This process plays an important role in renovation, alteration, and structural assessment projects, particularly in existing buildings where original construction documentation may be limited or conditions may have changed over time. By combining non-destructive GPR scanning with targeted prism extraction, the LMC team helps engineers and project stakeholders make informed decisions based on real-world conditions. #LMC #MaterialsTesting #Concrete #GPR #CMU #Prism #ACI #ASTM #Engineers #Construction #Engineering #NYC #LI #Safety