our projects
past
Setting Up a Concrete Petrography Laboratory for Quality Control of Construction Projects
Funding Agency: DOST-PCIEERD-GIA
Duration: March 2017 to December 2018
Project Leader: Carlo A. Arcilla, PhD
The Philippines has been experiencing a boom in the construction industry. This translates to an increased demand for engineering works and raw materials such as concrete, aggregates, cement, and other additives. However, the vulnerability of the country to natural hazards is getting worse. As such, the project was conceived to satisfy the needs for an improved quality control and assessment of construction raw materials here in the country.
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The general objective of the project is to set up the Philippines’ first concrete petrography laboratory. Moreover, it aims to train personnel from the National Institute of Geological Sciences and partner agencies in sample preparation and petrographic analysis of concrete.
This project is vital to establish a laboratory dedicated to compositional and failure analysis of concrete—crucial steps to determine the underlying causes of deterioration and faulty construction.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Critical Infrastructure and Construction Raw Materials in the Philippines Using Concrete Petrography
Funding Agency: DOST-PCIEERD-GIA
Duration: May 2019 to May 2021
After the successful organization and obtaining an international certification of the concrete petrography laboratory, partnerships with different government agencies and private institutions were established.
The main objective of the program is to apply geologic methods such as petrography and chemical analytical methods, to complement existing physical methods. This is to better to assess the (1) quality of concrete taken from critical lifeline structures and (2) concrete raw materials. As such, the program was divided into two components.
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Project 1: Concrete Petrography as a Quality Assessment Tool of Hardened Concrete from Lifeline Structures in the Philippines
Project Leader: Richard L. Ybañez, M.Sc.
The project’s main objective is to use concrete petrography to complement existing standard physical test methods to assess the quality of hardened concrete. Samples were collected from existing lifeline structures. These are buildings and engineering works identified by key government agencies as critical during disasters. They were subjected to non-destructive testing, physical testing, and petrography. Results from these tests were correlated in order to provide overall assessment of integrity of concrete structures.
Project 2: Geological, Chemical, and Physical Evaluation of Concrete Raw Materials Used in Critical Philippine Infrastructures
Project Leader: Marlon T. Conato, PhD
The project aims to evaluate the performance of current concrete raw materials and the specified mix designs for government infrastructures and construction projects. The methodology involves geological, chemical and physical properties of the raw materials. This will provide a comprehensive technical database on the current sources and quality of concrete raw materials used in the construction of critical government infrastructures.
present
Philippine Comprehensive Nationwide Construction Resources Technical Evaluation (Philippine CoNCReTE)
Funding Agency: DOST-PCIEERD-GIA
Duration: June 2021 to Present
Project Leader: Carlo A. Arcilla, PhD
The project aims to implement nationwide assessment and evaluation of concrete taken from government structures and concrete raw materials being used for construction projects in the various regions identified by DPWH. This phase of the program is an expansion and application of the methods and research acquired from the previous programs.