Forensic Engineering in Houston, TX

Most forensic work in Houston starts the same way: a slab that moved, a pavement that failed early, or cylinder breaks that came back below the specified strength. The question is always what the concrete and the soil beneath it actually are — not what the submittals said they would be. We core the structure per ASTM C42, pull soil samples where the distress pattern points, and run the hardened-concrete and soils testing that turns an argument into a record. Petrographic examination per ASTM C856 separates the real causes from the assumed ones: alkali-silica reaction, freeze-thaw, sulfate attack, or simply too much water in the truck. Sampling is documented and chain of custody is maintained from the first core to the final report, because in Houston a distressed structure is often a dispute waiting to happen.

In the Gulf Coast, foundation distress is frequently a soil-movement problem before it is a concrete problem — investigations here usually need both the structure and the subgrade characterized before an opinion means anything.

• Concrete distress investigation: cracking, scaling, spalling, low strength results
• Core sampling and testing of hardened concrete per ASTM C42
• Petrographic examination of hardened concrete per ASTM C856
• Foundation and pavement performance investigations
• Documented chain of custody and photo documentation built for litigation

ASTM C42ASTM C856ASTM C39