Forensic Engineering in Durham County, NC

Field sampling, coring, and laboratory testing are performed by our certified technicians and laboratory. Engineering evaluation, opinions, and any expert testimony are performed by licensed engineers engaged for the matter, so the deliverable is sealed by the professional whose name is on it.

Before. Physical evidence degrades, gets repaired, or gets demolished. Getting cores, samples, and photo documentation captured under a defensible chain of custody early is what keeps the technical record intact regardless of where the dispute goes.

Not without disclosure. If we performed the acceptance testing on the same project, we will say so up front — an independent investigator is usually the right call, and we will help you find one.

Drilled cores tested for compressive strength per ASTM C42, petrographic examination per ASTM C856 to identify air content, water-cement ratio indicators, alkali-silica reaction, or freeze-thaw damage, chloride content for corrosion assessment, rebound hammer surveys per ASTM C805 to map relative strength, and ground-penetrating radar or cover meter surveys to locate reinforcing. Field sampling and testing are performed by our certified technicians; the engineering evaluation is delivered with a licensed engineer.

Under ACI 318 the strength is acceptable when every average of three consecutive tests meets the specified strength and no individual test falls more than 500 psi below it (or 10 percent when f'c exceeds 5,000 psi). If the results fail those criteria, the engineer of record usually orders cores per ASTM C42: the in-place concrete is considered adequate when the average of three cores is at least 85 percent of f'c and no single core is below 75 percent. We cast and break the cylinders, drill and test the cores, and document the chain of custody so the outcome holds up.

Crack mapping and elevation surveys to establish the pattern, cores to check slab thickness and concrete quality, and subgrade sampling for moisture content (ASTM D2216), Atterberg limits (ASTM D4318), and classification (ASTM D2487) to identify expansive clay, poorly compacted fill, or moisture change beneath the slab. The findings are compared to the original geotechnical report and compaction records when they exist.

Field work in Durham County is dispatched through the Raleigh, NC regional hub, about 21 miles away. Laboratory testing is performed in Sugar Land, Texas under chain of custody, or in a mobile laboratory mobilized to large Durham County projects.

Field sampling and testing in Durham County are performed by our ACI- and NICET-certified technicians. Forensic engineering and professional services are delivered with professionals licensed in North Carolina, coordinated under one proposal.