C3S is a civil/materials & structural consulting and testing company specializing in comprehensive concrete testing and evaluation and its related ingredients. The company also provides structural design for new and existing concrete, steel, wood, and masonry structures including foundations.C3S has been providing concrete testing and related services to clients in the U.S. and overseas since 1991.

Construction Concrete Testing Projects in the

Project Planning Phase

With Project Planning Phase, we aim to build the quality of concrete ingredients upfront into the client’s project to improve the life of structures and be able to reduce the maintenance costs. We accomplish this using various aspects of concrete testing, analysis, sourcing and qualifying the planning stages.

1. LNG plant in Angola Project – Evaluation of local sources of aggregate. Identified several good sources and eliminated potentially damage-prone sources.
2. Sourcing & Evaluation of Aggregates for Runway Extension and Widening At Bush Intercontinental Airport and Continuous Quality Control Monitoring During Construction, Houston Texas.
3. Evaluated and monitored quality of Portland cement shipped from China for LNG plant in Angola. Test was performed in accordance with ASTM test prior to shipping cement to location.
4. Durability of Rock for Erosion Control under Wetting and Drying Conditions, Rock from Trio Quarry, Belize, Fugro Project.
5. Evaluation of Sand for use in Concrete for New Aprons and Access Taxiways for Montgomery County Airport.
6. Evaluation of Granite and Basalt Aggregates for Airport Runway and Taxiway Construction (IAH Project 556).

Construction Concrete Testing Projects in the

Construction Phase

During the construction phase we evaluate and determine the root cause to any problems that may arise in addition to performing inspections to meet specifications.

1. Highway Soft Surface Probable Cause Determination – Determination of probable causes of soft surfaces on highway pavement, I-45 around Conroe.
2. Evaluation of potential cold joint in a concrete beam. Beam cap at Little York, Station No: 2119 +00.
3. Evaluation of durability of concrete samples from Bridge Deck. Sam Houston Tollway Bridge over Lockwood/UPRR.
4. Evaluation of Unset Concrete in one of several Piers under the river on Argonne Bridge, Spokane, WA. Inland Crane Project.
5. Evaluation of Three Concrete Piers, Bayport Container Yard Project, Port of Houston.
6. Evaluation of Bonding Capacity of Exterior Wall Tiles, Harmony Public School, Houston.

Construction Concrete Testing Projects in the

Maintenance/Forensic Phase

We offer our expertise to help you minimize maintenance costs and prevent costly repairs. We help you understand underlying causes of the problems prior to starting any extensive repair.

1. The Sugarhouse Streetcar Project, Salt Lake City, Utah – The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the condition of recently placed concrete for a public transportation system in Salt Lake City, Utah.
2. Crown Castle Tower, Galveston, Texas – Concrete at the base of a communication tower, upon coring, was found to have vertical cracks in samples taken.  The concrete is said to have been placed over 15 years ago. Owner of tower is desirous in finding the cause of this defect in the structure.
3. Evaluation of Concrete in a Navigational Lock, Kissimmee River, Florida – A 40-year old Navigational Lock on the Kissimmee River showed several defects on the concrete walls including removal of patches of cement paste which has exposed several aggregates. Stakeholders needed to know the cause of damage prior to repairing the structure.
4. Restoration of Mortar Sample from H.M. King Historical Site, Corpus Christi, Texas – During restoration of the historical site, mortar holding the bricks of the building were found to be weak and several bricks dislodged. Samples of bricks with retained mortar samples were sent for evaluation to determine their condition.
5. Evaluation of Existing Buried Concrete Water Reservoir for Structural Integrity, Houston, Texas – A 15 million gallon concrete water reservoir buried underground at Memorial & Sabine, built in 1927, is being evaluated in a negotiation to turn over the facility to a management group.
6. Asbestos-Cement Pipe Failure Analysis – Three pieces of a section of an asbestos-cement pipe were presented for evaluation to determine the pipe’s condition.
7. Structural Analysis of Barbour’s Cut Container Terminal, Port of Houston Authority Above-Water Inspection of Wharfs 1, 2 and Portion of 3 – The scope of work comprised of two sections: an inspection of piles and testing of samples. The inspection was to assess the general condition of the above-water portions of the tied-back bulkhead, concrete deck slab soffit, and the concrete supporting piles. Testing of samples was to substantiate or raise any concern with observations made in the inspection. Testing was performed for an approved schedule of tests summarized as ASTM – C42, C805, C1202, C1152, C 856 and C1723.
8. Barge Dock Improvements – The Port of Corpus Christi was opened about 70 years ago. The objective of this study is to determine the condition of concrete in key sections of the port infrastructure in anticipation of capital improvement at the facility. Five key ASTM tests were performed to assist in the evaluation of the sampled concrete cores, they are: ASTM C42, C1152, C 876, C 856, C 457.
9. Evaluated Concrete Distress (Alkali-silica reactivity) on Sam Houston & Hardy Toll Roads.
10. Non-Destructive Void Survey of Several Non-Federal Concrete Lined Channels.
11. FY 2019 Federal and Non-Federal Channel Inspections and Reporting.
12. Evaluation of Fire-Damaged Slab, Storage Facility at 9015 Sheldon Road, Houston, Texas.
13. Evaluation of Field Applied Concrete Topping on Precast Concrete Double-Tee, Houston, Texas.
14. Evaluation of Pool Finish Discoloration, Houston, Texas.
15. AGGREGATES MATTER: Performance of Newly Placed VS 40 Year Old Concrete