Materials Engineering

Our Materials Engineering practice group provides specialized and expedited testing of soils, concrete, aggregate, asphalt, and ballast materials. Our staff includes qualified technologists and technicians, lab managers and supervisors, supported by professional engineers and geoscientists.

Clifton is committed to transparency and efficiency in all aspects of our operations.

Certified In-house and Mobile Labs

Each of our six regional offices houses a Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories (CCIL) certified lab. Clifton also maintains mobile laboratory facilities to reduce cost and delivery time on remote sites or projects that require on-site testing.

Cost-reduction

BULK DISCOUNT ON TESTING

Clifton provides a bulk discount for materials testing based on the total number of tests expected to be completed.

Schedule Shortening

AROUND-THE-CLOCK TESTING

To assist with sensitive project schedules, Clifton can provide around the clock testing services.

CORPORATE SUPPORT

When required, Clifton provides staff and analytical services from our other regional offices. With our rigorous training program, all staff members apply the same protocols to their testing, ensuring continuity between our offices.

IN-HOUSE QA/QC

Clifton has an in-house quality assurance and quality control protocol for all our materials testing services. Our QA/QC protocol is included in our cost estimates and allows our team to identify issues early, reducing the need for repeat testing. Wherever possible, any outlying results are retested within 24 hours to ensure accuracy and confidence in our results while maintaining timely delivery.  

Materials Engineering Services

Soils

  • Unconfined Compressive Strength - UCS

  • Confined Compressive Strength - Triaxials

  • Direct Shear

  • Consolidations

  • Unit Weight of Undisturbed Samples

  • Water Soluble Sulphates

  • Organic Content of Soils

  • Inorganic soil Chem SCC (CA/FA/Sands)

  • Soil pH

  • Resistivity - soils and granular

  • Permeability - Constant Head, Falling Head, and Flexible Wall

  • California Bearing Ratio - CBR

  • Standard and Modified Proctors - cohesive and non-cohesive

  • Specific Gravity of Soils

  • Water Content

  • Atterberg Limits

  • Wash Sieve - Percent Passing #200

  • Particle Size Analysis - Hydrometer

  • Unified Soils Classification - USC

  • Tempe Cell test

  • Laboratory Vane Shear

  • Group Index

Asphalt

  • Marshall Mix Design

  • Full Properties Check, Marshall and Superpave

  • Field Coring Crew

  • Core Processing for Thickness, Bulk Specific Gravity

  • Marshall Stability and Flow

  • Bitumen Content - by Reflux Extraction, or Ignition

  • Compaction by Nuclear Methods

  • Retained Stability

  • Alberta Transportation Inter Laboratory Repeatability Testing

  • Coating and Stripping Test of Asphalt on Aggregate

Concrete

  • Concrete Mix Design - Cast-in-Place and Roller Compacted Concrete

  • Compressive Strength of Concrete Cylinders and Cores

  • Dry Unit Weight of Concrete Cylinders

  • Flexural Strength of Concrete and Roller

  • Compacted Concrete (RCC)

  • Compressive Strength of 50 mm Mortar Cubes

  • Accelerated Curing and Testing of Concrete

  • Drying Shrinkage of Mortar

  • Adhesion Testing

  • Resistance of Unconfined Coarse Aggregate to Freezing and Thawing

  • Detection of Alkali-Silica Reactive Aggregate by Expansion of Mortar Bar

  • Consistency Retention

  • Mortar Aggregate Ratio

Aggregates and Ballast

  • Gradation Analysis

  • Fractured Face Count

  • Fineness Modulus

  • Organic Impurities

  • Mill Abrasion

  • Shape Factor

  • California Bearing Ratio - CBR

  • Clay Lumps

  • Base Atterberg - Plasticity Index of Fines in Aggregate

  • Cementing Value

  • Acid Solubility

  • Micro Deval

  • Petrographic Analysis

  • Specific Gravity of Fine and Coarse Aggregates

  • Light Weight Pieces in Aggregates

  • Los Angeles (LA) Abrasion

  • Soundness of Aggregate in Fine and Coarse

  • Aggregates

  • Unit Weight of Aggregates

  • Sand Equivalent Value