The Barcelona Test and Inductive Method implemented in the quality control of Bank Station
Bank Station in London is one of the largest underground railway stations in the world. Almost 100,000 passengers use this station at rush hour. Even though it is now used by 50% more passengers than 10 years ago, the number is expected to increase in the next years. Therefore, Bank Station Capacity Upgrade Project aims at increasing the capacity 40% by 2021. The project envisages the use of steel fibre reinforced sprayed concrete for the linings. The quality control of this material comprises the evaluation of the fibre content and residual strength. However, current methods to assess these properties are very expensive, time demanding and even environmentally unfriendly (in the case of the fibre content).
Given its experience in the development, design and characterisation of fibre reinforced cementitious materials, Smart Engineering comes into play to optimise the quality control system of the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade Project. The improved system comprises new testing methods: the Barcelona test (UNE 83515) and the Inductive method, which provide a more reliable and robust characterisation of FRC. The inductive method estimates the fibre content with an error below 3%. These tests are part SmartControl, a new brand that Smart Engineering will launch shortly.
