2012 has seen significant developments in our testing of mechanical couplers for reinforcing steels. Although the company has been testing these products for several years, the volume, complexity and importance of the testing has significantly increased. Much of this work is related to the nuclear construction sector.

R-Tech’s Research Engineer, Michael Moore has been instrumental in developing our testing of mechanical couplers as part of his Engineering Doctorate at Swansea University. R-Tech Services has been developing slip and cyclic load testing to ISO 15835. The cyclic load tests are designed to simulate seismic loading, and employ a complex set of stress/strain cycles prior to a measurement of failure load. We have also developed the capability of measuring the slip over individual part of a complex coupler, which may involve up to 5 different threaded connections. These development s have been made with some of the main supplers of couplers in the global market.

With this test now operational at Testing House, R-Tech Services will be applying to UKAS to extend the testing to ISO 15835.