Core cutting location survey

On post-tensioned slabs, scanning before coring isn't a precaution. A severed tendon releases stored energy and turns a routine opening into a structural investigation. In conventionally reinforced members, a severed main bar is a repair, not an inconvenience, but the cost and delay are still avoidable with a survey that takes a fraction of the time the repair would.

• Position marked, permissible diameter stated, layer depths recorded
• Grid acquisition in two orthogonal directions, so every bar is confirmed twice
• Where no clear window exists, the nearest position that works is marked instead
• Same visit turnaround on typical core locating scopes

The same survey covers drilling and anchoring, not only core cutting: rebar, PT tendons, conduits and embedded services located before an anchor goes in, on renovation, fit out and strengthening work. Where the engineering question is a quantity rather than a location, such as residual capacity or corrosion rate, that is outside what radar measures, and we name the test that answers it instead of stretching the scan to cover it. Where the element is congested, the report says so explicitly rather than presenting a confident position on a bar count that cannot be resolved reliably at that spacing.

The HILTI PS 1000 X-Scan is a three antenna ground penetrating radar system that produces plan view images of concrete, not the single line trace of a covermeter or a rebar scanner. It records a 600 by 600 mm image scan grid in a single set up, extendable to 1200 mm by 1200 mm for larger elements, and detects to a stated maximum of 300 mm in concrete. Default settings assume dry, ordinary concrete, so we acquire in expert mode with the phase of the signal preserved and calibrate the dielectric constant on the element in front of us, processed in PROFIS Detection together with our own MATLAB routines.

Enquiry. Send the element type, thickness, exposure condition and what you need to locate on WhatsApp. Photographs, drawings and any previous scan output help us assess it fast.

Plan. We check access, moisture, exposure and reinforcement congestion against your target, confirm radar is the right test, and schedule the visit.

Scan and mark. Calibrated on the element, scanned in an orthogonal grid, and marked directly on the surface for your coring or cutting crew, same visit.

Report, if needed. Depth slices, plan extents and permissible core diameters, issued as a written report when your project requires formal documentation.