Bika features for concrete materials testing have been completed with sponsorship by the CCRL and AASHTO accredited Research & Development group at Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete Inc. Chicago, and are now being readied for release as a new branch, Bika Concrete.
Ozinga is a fifth-generation, family-owned company providing concrete, bulk materials, and construction solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Ozinga continues to develop environmentally responsible products and practices, leading the way in low-carbon mix innovations.
Mixes
Bika Concrete simplifies tracking the ingredients of concrete batches and checks its quality over time. It brings a clearer, more efficient approach to quality control.
Lab technicians capture key ingredients, Bika Materials – such as cement, different types of aggregates (like sand or gravel), fibers and water and the quantities of each used in the Mix the samples were cast with, the ratios and measurements that indicate whether the concrete meets quality standards.
Once a Mix is finalized, its details are saved and available to every sample in that Batch, and eventually attached to their COAs. This ensures that every quality check can be traced back to the original mix, reducing mistakes and making it easier to compare results.
Because the Mix quantities are often derived through complex calculations factoring Material Absorption Rates and Specific Gravities, Mixes can be imported from spreadsheets. A next goal is to do these calculations in the LIMS itself.
Time Series Results
Concrete weighing for Bika Open Source LIMSAnother useful new feature is the ability to track changes in samples over time. For example, if a concrete slab shrinks or its mass changes during a six-month period, Bika Concrete displays this information in easy-to-read graphs and tables.
The ongoing monitoring helps labs spot potential issues early and ensures that the concrete performs well throughout its lifespan.
Results are tabled with out of range values indicated, often for multiple sub samples and their average. Both graph and table are attached to the Samples’ COAs.
In concrete labs, the measurements are often arrived at by complex calculations in spreadsheet systems from which summarised data are auto-imported.
We hope to see Bika Time Series applied in other LIMS disciplines, such as tracking ambient lab and freezer temperatures, patient health parameter tracking or physical strength tests in metallurgy.
CMT Testing
Bika Concrete loses none of its standard ISO 17025 ready functionality – other construction material testing can easily co-exist in the same installation, in concrete labs typically particle size distribution, oxides, flexural and compressive strength measurements
The Bika Team thanks the Ozinga R&D Lab for their willingness to share industry expertise and insights, invaluable in shaping this new application, we look forward to further refining it.