Forensic Engineering in Horry County, SC

Chain of custody is a documented record tracking every person who handles a sample from the moment it is collected to final laboratory disposition. In a distressed-structure investigation, this record is essential for ensuring that laboratory results — compressive strength, carbonation depth, chloride content — are legally defensible and cannot be challenged as compromised or mislabeled. We maintain written chain-of-custody documentation on all cores and samples collected in Horry County.

Cores are extracted using rotary diamond-core equipment following ASTM C42. The recovered cylinders are examined visually for voids, honeycombing, reinforcement condition, and crack depth, then tested in the laboratory for compressive strength and, where relevant, petrographic examination per ASTM C856. This gives the licensed engineer direct physical evidence of in-place concrete condition rather than reliance on original mix records or cylinder break data alone.

A forensic pavement investigation typically includes visual distress mapping, core extraction for thickness and layer verification per ASTM D5361, laboratory analysis of extracted material, and review of available construction records. In coastal plain soils common to Horry County, subgrade moisture and variable compaction are frequent contributors to premature failure. The licensed engineer interprets findings in context of the original design and construction documentation.

Field work in Horry County is dispatched through the Raleigh, NC regional hub, about 145 miles away. Laboratory testing is performed in Sugar Land, TX under chain of custody, or in a mobile laboratory mobilized to large Horry County projects.

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