Lloyds Datum -
Testing, Civil, Plant and Monitoring services

Dynamic Drive Analysis Testing

Carried out during the impact pile driving of preformed concrete, steel tubular, steel ‘H’ and timber piles, Dynamic Drive Analysis Testing enables safe economical pile installation.

Test results can be obtained in real time and the results show soil resistance to driving, hammer performance, dynamic pile stresses during driving and pile integrity, enabling formulation of the driving criteria for any pile.

Dynamic Re-strike Testing

Dynamic Re-strike Testing can economically evaluate any piled foundation and is usually carried out on at least 10-20% of the installed piles.

Our experienced, efficient team can perform up to 30 tests a day, using the dynamic data to model the pile in the CAPWAP (Case And Wave Analysis Programme), evaluate the shaft to toe resistance distribution and simulate a static load curve. We can then correlate with factual static load testing to provide greater assurances on any piled foundation.

We’ve also developed our own range of unique hydraulic drop hammers fitted to mobile JCB telehandlers to carry out Dynamic Load Testing on CFA piles and rotary bored auger piles.

Stadia and sports grounds across Ireland, including Aviva, Kingspan, Glentoran and Croke Park, use LDG Lloyds to qualify their crush barriers and handrails, according to “Guide to Safety and Sports Grounds”, 5th edition, to evaluate crowd capacities and ensure they are compliant with insurance legislation.

Pile Integrity Testing (PIT) is a non-destructive way of evaluating pile integrity and/or length and can be used for forensic evaluations on existing piles or quality assurance in new construction. We recommend performing the integrity test no sooner than 7 days after casting or after concrete strength achieves at least 3/4 of its design strength, whichever occurs earlier.

Applicable to driven concrete piles and cast-in-place piles, the integrity test can be carried out where the pile head surface is accessible, above water and clean of loose concrete, soil or other foreign materials, allowing the connection between the sensor and concrete to be solid.

A hammer, with or without force measurement unit, is used to impact the pile top and axially with the pile. A motion transducer can detect and record the reflected echoes of each impact or the average can also be calculated and used. When an acceleration transducer is used, the apparatus provides signal conditioning and integrate acceleration to obtain velocity and balances the velocity signal to zero between impact events.

The Thermal Integrity Profiler (TIP) uses heat generated by curing cement to assess the quality of drilled shafts and of bored, augered cast in place, continuous flight auger or drilled displacement piles.

It is also used for quality control and shape evaluation of jet grouting, slurry walls, and diaphragm walls. 

TIP evaluates the entire cross-section and length of the foundation. Results are available when shaft installation is concluded and reveal necks or inclusions (regions that are colder than average), bulges (regions that are warmer than average), variations in concrete cover, and the shape of the shaft and cage alignment.

Smart sensing cables fitted with uniformly spaced digital temperature sensors and are ordered separately depending on the length and quantity needed. The cables are tied to the rebar cage and cast into the shaft. Each cable string has a unique ID number which is read during concrete pour or cage being plunged via the main TIP unit.

Recent system upgrades include using a cloud based server to evaluate data from any remote location while concrete is curing.

Benefits of TIP

• Pinpoints anomalies using temperature vs. depth vs. quadrant
• Early testing speeds construction
• Results in 12 - 72 hours
• Evaluates concrete quality, cover & cage alignment
• Avoids false positive issues
• Only reports significant defects
• Requires much less testing time onsite

Cross Hole Sonic Logging (CSL) verifies the structural integrity of drilled shafts and other concrete piles. It offers increased accuracy than sonic echo testing in determining structural integrity soundness of concrete within the drilled shaft inside the circumference of rebar cage.

How it Works

1. Access Tubes Installed

Installed before construction and filled with water, Access Tubes are typically 38 to 50mm diameter PVC or steel tubes tied to the inside of the rebar cage. The number of tubes depends on structure size and resolution required.

2. Readings Taken

After being lowered to the bottom of separate tubes, the source and receiver hydrophones are simultaneously lifted to measure the horizontal ultrasonic pulse velocity. The depth wheel controls the sample reading resolution, typically taken at 6cm intervals.

3. Results Interpreted

Uniform, good quality concrete promotes propagation of ultrasonic waves while voided, poor quality concrete gives longer ultrasonic wave travel times and lower amplitudes. A complete loss in signal means a substantial void is hindering the transfer of the signal between the hydrophones.

Testing all types of ground anchors, anti-flotation anchors and tie back anchors including Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), we offer a wide range of hollow jack systems and can test loads up to 5000kN.

Our automated testing system can also carry out proving tests, giving both client and test engineer the advantage of increased efficiency. 

Designed and built by us, our Automated Static Load Testing Systems can operate automatically and unattended, improving efficiency, reducing risk and promoting a safe working environment under hydraulic loading conditions.

Used for both compression and tension tests, the system meets all industry codes around the world.

Our large selection of test beams, ranging from 1MN to 12MN, are offered in pre-planned configurations or can be configured to fit almost any anchor configuration.

In a working test, in accordance with ICE SPERWall 2017, the load is increased in stages and held for a specific time. At 100% DVL the load is released and a second cycle up to 100% DVL + 50% SWL applied. Maximum settlement and residual settlement are calculated accordingly.

Micropiles

Micropiles are small diameter (up to 324mm Diameter) drilled and grouted piles. They can be installed in all ground conditions. Micropiles can be compression piles. Tension piles are both depending on the requirements.

Self-Drill Type Micropiles

Self-Drill Type Micropiles are available up to 300mm in diameter. They are installed using a hollow bar which allows the hole to be flushed during drilling and, when at the required depth, grout is injected through the hollow stem forming the pile.

Down the Hole Micropiles

Down the Hole Micropiles are available up to 324mm in diameter and created using an air driven hammer drilling system. With this method, we simultaneously install temporary or permanent casing while advancing the borehole. This is used when the soils are not stable. Once a better stratum is reached, we can advance the bore hole using open hole drilling. Once the drilling is complete a cage or bar reinforcement can be installed and grouted into place.

Rock Bolts

Rock Bolts are used to stabilise exposed rock faces, rock cuttings, tunnels and bridges on infrastructure projects. Used to connect unstable rock to stable rock, Rock Bolts are usually installed into predrilled bore holes. The tendons are inserted into the bore holes and grouted into place. Self-drilling hollow bars can also be used as Rock Bolts. Once the Bolts are in place, they have face plates and nuts installed.

Soil Nails

Soil nails usually form part of the slope stabilisation and are commonly used with a soft facing allowing the slope to be vegetated. Soil Nails are installed on slopes through the unstable zone into the stable zone of the slope.  This is possible by drilling and installing a tendon. In self-supporting ground this can be in the form of solid steel tendons or GFRP bars. In loose or collapsing ground they are installed by using self-drill hollow bar systems. Once the nails are in place, they have face plates and nuts installed.

Slope Facings

Once the Rock Bolts or Soil Nails have been completed a facing may be required. The main types of facing are:

Hard: provides a rigid restraint over the entire face, this can be carried out using steel mesh and shotcrete.

Flexible: acts as a structural element but allows for deformation before design strength is mobilised.

Soft: providing non-structural erosion control reliant on establishing vegetation.

Ground Anchors

Ground Anchors are a load transfer system designed to transfer the forces applied to it into a competent stratum.

Used in a wide variety of applications in the civil engineering and construction sectors, Ground Anchors retain structures such as Bored Piles Walls, Sheet Pile Walls, Basements, Bridge Foundations, Marine Structures and for temporary works during construction phase works.

Ground Anchors can be installed into all types of ground conditions and at various angles to suit the requirement of the structure it is retaining.

Ground Anchors: Active and Passive

Active Anchors are pre-tensioned before the it takes up the load, which prevents distortion to the structure.

Passive Anchors are only tensioned by the structure itself applying load to it.

Anchors are designed to be either Temporary or Permanent, with Temporary Anchors having a design life of 2 years.

Permanent Ground Anchors can have a lifespan of 120 years if they have Double Corrosion Protection Applied (DCP). DCP is defined in BS8081 and consists of factory pre-grouted encapsulation of the bar within a corrugated plastic sheath.  Galvanising is a method of providing single corrosion protection providing an extended design life.

Ground Anchors Tendons come in various forms:

Solid Thread Bars – ranging from 15mm up to 75mm Diameter with Ultimate loads up to 4572 kN

Hollow Bars - ranging from 25mm up to 103mm diameter with ultimate loads up to 3700 kN

Strand Anchors - 15.7mm Diameter Compacted Strand. Single Strands have an Ultimate Load of 300 kN. You can install between 1 and 30 Strands per Anchor bundle.

Removable Strand Anchors are strand anchors with a built-in rupture point of 220 kN. When this load is applied the strand can then be removed.

GFRP Cuttable Bar Anchors are 32mm Diameter Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer bars with an ultimate load of 320kN, these can be installed as single bar anchors or Multi Bar bundles.

Ground Anchor installation is carried out by the drilling of a borehole, the installation of the tendon and grouting of the tendon in the borehole.  The two main methods we use are Rotary Percussive Drilling(Top Hammer) and Down The Hole Hammer (DTHH).

Top hammer drilling can be carried out using air or water to flush the material from the borehole. We use this method to install self-drill hollow bars, allowing us to advance the anchor bars to depth then grout through the hollow stem in the bars.

Down the Hole Hammer bore holes are created using an air driven hammer drilling system.  With this method we simultaneously install Temporary or Permanent casing while advancing the borehole. This is used when the soils are not stable. Once a better stratum is reached we can advance the bore hole using open hole drilling.

Our innovative range of products can be used individually or combined to form a system.

Our expert, experienced teams with work with you to tailor make solutions specific to your circumstances.

CombiMATE

Datum are proud to be the sole dealer and calibration provider for Instantel products nationwide. Datum designed and fabricated a portable easy to carry case which hosts an Instantel Micromate with combined Sound level Microphone. Utilisng the external siren with amber and red LED lights, local site personnel can be assured of knowing a threshold has been exceeded should it arise.

Further options are available such as a 4G/LTE router to allow for streaming of vibration and noise data back to Datum's Presentation Suite or designated email addresses.

Track Sensors

Our wireless, battery operated Track Cant Monitors are specially designed to be easily deployed, does not have to be removed for normal machine track maintenance and is built to last. You can use it as a standalone unit or as part of a system to monitor a complete section of track.

Slope Array

A cable free, modular and easy to install monitoring system for slope stability, the Slope Array is fully length-adjustable and fitted with interchangeable sensors. Each sensor is attached to the next and lowered into a standard inclinometer tube. The system is available in uniaxial or biaxial options.

Void Detection

Our cable free, compact, portable and highly durable track void monitoring system can be programmed remotely to continuously record track stability, giving Permanent Way Managers continuous access to dynamic track void readings on their phone or at their desk. This crucial information allows you to anticipate potential failures, schedule safety work safely, reduce the cost of repairs and improve safety and the customer experience.

Each VoidMate is easy to install and relocate and can be configured to alarm and alert any number of recipients by SMS and email.

Rail Temperature

An innovative, automated critical rail temperature monitoring system gives Permanent Way Managers track temperatures in real time, allowing them to anticipate potential failures, avoid unnecessary speed restrictions and minimise risks associated with working on the line.

Sustainable, cable free, compact, portable and highly durable, Rail temperature sensors can be fitted in less than a minute. Internal Li-Ion batteries shall last for over a year at 10min sampling.

It can also be remotely programmed to send alarms to any number of recipients by email and or SMS. Data is streamed to our secure Presentation Suite for easy access from your phone or desktop.

Dataloggers

Our wireless data-logger can record data from multiple wireless or direct bus monitoring systems such as vibrating wire, analogue or digital sensors.

This plug and play device is easy to programme and is equipped with a fixed IP Cellular Router to stream data to our Presentation Suite or any a data repository of your choosing.

Presentation Suite

Datum's innovative data presentation solution provides you easy, continuous access to your data from any device via an engaging, interactive user experience while processing large volumes of sensor data, performing complex calculations and providing real-time alerting.

Datum's Presentation suite integrates seamlessly with the remote monitoring equipment supplied and installed by Datum, providing a unique end-to-end solution that gives you everything you need to understand and maximise the value of your data.

Specialist Surveying Services for Every Sector.

Our Surveyors and Monitoring Technicians work across Ireland and the UK and in many sectors providing 24 hour asset detailing and condition monitoring using the most advanced topographical survey equipment, GNSS positioning systems and laser scanners.

Our range of services includes everything from 1D and 3D observations to modelling complex structures in many formats.

Surveyors and CAD Technicians quickly process data into formats for modelling and design, while our Survey Managers design, install and operate automated 3D monitoring systems to assess structural movement and settlement from tunnelling and earthwork activity.

Our land surveys and monitoring services include:

• Precise level survey & monitoring
• Manual and automated 3D monitoring
• Infrastructure surveys
• Rail surveys
• Deformation surveys

Our Technicians are trained to access and set up safe work systems including:

• Railway access competency
• Working at height
• CSCS and CPCS, Safepass (Ireland)

Automated 3D Monitoring

Our automated 3D monitoring systems are designed for pre, during and post construction, and can be operated where traditional techniques are not practical or economical. They provide accurate positional information that correlate to known benchmarks – especially effective when monitoring track geometry structural and embankment stability.

We’ve invested heavily in remote controlled 3D, photographic and laser scanning technology systems and software to make the data capture process and presentation of information more efficient and effective. These systems are capable of recording data 24hrs, 7 days per week, uploading data to secure webpages for continuous review.

Topographical Surveys

We can determine the terrestrial or three dimensional position of points, and the distances and angles between them, using software applications to present survey plans and cross-sectional information to the level of detail you require.

Rail Surveys

We measure rail position and geometry using traditional surveying techniques, handheld gauges, laser sweeps, and for measurements such as Cross Level (Cant), Twist, Gauge, Versine and Horizontal/Vertical profiles. We’ll often measure these alongside the other elements of the railway corridor including embankments, slopes, drainage, signalling and overhead features.

Deformation Surveys

Systematically measuring and tracking the alternation in the shapes or dimensions of an object, often as a result of construction activity stresses, we choose from a range of methods and measurement frequency dependent on the application.

Setting Out Services

Transferring the co-ordinates of a building, road or structure from design drawings to the site, we take into account the project specification and ground conditions and use the most appropriate, accurate method.

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