Expertise and Certification

Combining materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering, our laboratory mobilizes all its testing resources and the expertise of its professionals to successfully carry out projects entrusted to us. Our multidisciplinary expertise allows us to assist you in addressing a range of private or public issues, including fracture surface analysis, characterization of pre-stressed wires, metallurgical and metallic characterization, fatigue and fretting fatigue analysis, corrosion studies, analysis of metallic coatings (observation, measurement, adhesion, etc.), welding examinations, evaluation of composite solutions in civil engineering, and more.

Our laboratory is committed to conducting thorough examinations that enable you to understand different pathologies, evaluate potential causes of failure, and limit the resulting consequences to the best of our abilities.

The expertise focused on the wires of a prestressing cable from a  viaduct on a highway in the south of France. After a macroscopic observation of the three received wires, the laboratory searched for possible corrosion cracks, carried out a  metallographic study, and observed the corrosion propagation front.

Our certification activity for concrete reinforcement (bars, welded mesh, sleeved bars) is carried out in collaboration with AFCAB, who requests us to test the products in order to affix the NF or AFCAB  mark. The performed tests are mechanical tests (tensile with calculation  of ReH or Rp0.2, Rm, E, and Agt), and physical tests (linear mass, lock  height or imprint depth).Tests done under accreditation*.

Our activity of certification of prestressing units (wires, strands, prestressing bars) is carried out in collaboration with ASQPE to affix the CE marking. The performed tests include mechanical tests (tensile, deviated tensile, relaxation), physical tests (geometrical characteristics), and durability investigations (stress corrosion cracking in an ammonium thio-cyanate solution, stress corrosion cracking in distilled water).Tests done under accreditation*.

The laboratory has a certification activity for pre-stressing processes in connection with ASQPE, which requests us to test products in order to affix the CE marking. The tests performed, from program 29-1, are mechanical tests of hardness and microhardness (Vickers hardness HV1, HV30, and HV50, Rockwell hardness HRc, Brinell hardness HBW2.5/187.5). Tests done under accreditation*.

Other tests, not covered by COFRAC accreditation, are also carried out, such as geometric checks (manual three-dimensional measuring machine), roughness, and testing on individual reinforcement bars (ETAG13).