Testing of materials and manufactured items is a key element in the process from standard specifications though control and verification during manufacture to trade in actual products. Cooperative agreements and networks are being set up covering reference materials and calibration. This process is becoming more urgent with the development in the European market and other international developments. This book presents international views on this fast changing field, with the main themes of: technical components of test quality; quality assurance in testing laboratories; laboratory accreditation and transnational recognition of test results.

This book was proposed and organized as a means to present recent developments in the field of nondestructive testing of materials in civil engineering. For this reason, the articles highlighted in this editorial relate to different aspects of nondestructive testing of different materials in civil engineering—from building materials to building structures. The current trend in the development of nondestructive testing of materials in civil engineering is mainly concerned with the detection of flaws and defects in concrete elements and structures, and acoustic methods predominate in this field. As in medicine, the trend is towards designing test equipment that allows one to obtain a picture of the inside of the tested element and materials. From this point of view, interesting results with significance for building practices have been obtained

This book was proposed and organized as a means to present recent developments in the field of testing of materials and elements in civil engineering. For this reason, the articles highlighted in this editorial relate to different aspects of this topic, from building materials to building structures. The current trend in the development of materials testing in civil engineering is mainly concerned with the detection of flaws and defects in elements and structures using destructive, semidestructive, and nondestructive testing.

The non-destructive evaluation of civil engineering structures in reinforced concrete is becoming an increasingly important issue in this field of engineering. This book proposes innovative ways to deal with this problem, through the characterization of concrete durability indicators by the use of non-destructive techniques. It presents the description of the various non-destructive techniques and their combination for the evaluation of indicators. The processing of data issued from the combination of NDE methods is also illustrated through examples of data fusion methods. The identification of conversion models linking observables, obtained from non-destructive measurements, to concrete durability indicators, as well as the consideration of different sources of variability in the assessment process, are also described. An analysis of in situ applications is carried out in order to highlight the practical aspects of the methodology. At the end of the book the authors provide a methodological guide detailing the proposed non-destructive evaluation methodology of concrete indicators. - Presents the latest developments performed in the community of NDT on different aspects - Provides a methodology developed in laboratory and transferred onsite for the evaluation of concrete properties which are not usually addressed by NDT methods - Includes the use of data fusion for merging the measurements provided by several NDT methods - Includes examples of current and potential applications

Performance of Bio-based Building Materials provides guidance on the use of bio-based building materials (BBBM) with respect to their performance. The book focuses on BBBM currently present on the European market. The state-of-the-art is presented regarding material properties, recommended uses, performance expectancies, testing methodology, and related standards. Chapters cover both 'old and traditional' BBBM since quite a few of them are experiencing a comeback on the market. Promising developments that could become commercial in the near future are presented as well. The book will be a valuable reference resource for those working in the bio-based materials research community, architects and agencies dealing with sustainable construction, and graduate students in civil engineering. - Takes a unique approach to bio-based materials and presents a broad overview of the topics on relevant areas necessary for application and promotion in construction - Contains a general description, notable properties related to performance, and applications - Presents standards that are structured according to performance types

This is a compilation of over 170 technical recommendations prepared by RILEM Technical Committees between 1972 and 1994. These give authoritative procedures for the testing and use of many construction materials. The book presents an authoritative source of reference for engineers, scientists and technologists involved in the develo