The Civil Engineering Contractor April 2018 | Page 31

INSIGHT
Concrete is one of the most versatile materials within construction.
important element in the quality
equation is to understand how the
sampling to determine quality takes
place. Is the sampling representative? Is
the testing accurate? At which point of
the process did it take place? All of these
can affect the results quite substantially.
It is perhaps worth noting that the
earlier the testing, the cheaper it is to
correct any faults.
• Process faults. Both during
production and the construction
process, errors could be introduced
by faulty equipment or operator error.
It must also be borne in mind that the
conditions under which ready-mix is
transported to a construction site, and
then on the site itself, will affect quality.
Concrete quality is thus an extremely
complex concept. It is related to its
intended use and is affected by a range
of variables, as summarised above.
When we compare our local product
with the rest of the world, I would
argue that we stack up well. South
African concrete producers have
limited quantities of gravel available
and must work with machine-produced
aggregate. Although it is harder to
work with this material, we have
developed techniques to do so, and to
measure the potential durability of the
mix and its performance on site. These
techniques are being slowly adopted
elsewhere in the world. In addition,
we have national codes of practice,
standards, and specifications that are
compulsory when using concrete
structurally, and these are enforced by
consulting engineers.
The proof of the pudding is the fact
that we continue to produce concrete
structures that bear comparison with
the best in the world. PPC’s 125-
year heritage in the development of
infrastructure in the country and its
continued demand globally demonstrate
why our commitment to ensuring that
quality matters has seen us continue to
be an industry favourite.
George Evans is general manager: Product
Support Services at PPC. nn
When we compare our local
product with the rest of the
world, I would argue that
we stack up well.
CEC April 2018 - 29