Materials Laboratory

The year 2007 saw the amalgamation of Grenada Bureau of Standards with the Materials Laboratory of the Ministry of Works. Since then the Bureau’s Laboratory has continued its monitoring programmes in accordance to the following national standards:

GDS 63: Part 2: 2002 - Specification for Ready-Mix Concrete
GDS 50:1999 - Specification for Portland Cement
GDS 6: 1992 - Specification for Hollow Concrete Blocks

GDBS Materials Laboratory offer the following services:

Testing of Soil

Moisture Content
Atterberg Limit
Linear Shrinkage
Specific Gravity
Unit Weight (Wet Density)
Grain Size Distribution (Wet and Dry Sieve)
California Bearing Ratio (Soil Strength)
Compaction Test (Standard and Modified Proctor) 
 

Testing of Concrete Blocks

Compressive Strength
Dimension
Density
Shrinkage 
 

Testing of Asphalt

Bitumen Content (on Hot Mix Samples)
Core Density (to check thickness of pavement)
Maximum Theoretical Specific Gravity (to check air void on hot mix)
Penetration Test (on Raw Bitumen used for Making Mix)
Marshall Stability and Flow Test (to determine the strength of the asphalt) 
 

Testing of Aggregates

Specific Gravity
Sand Equivalent
Bulk Density
Density
Aggregate Impact Value
Flakiness Index
Elongation Index
Aggregate Crushing Value
Soundness
Los Angeles Abrasion (to check the hardness of the aggregates) 
 

Testing of Ready-Mix Concrete

Compressive strength
Volume
Meter Gauge Calibration 
 

Testing of Cement

Setting Time
Compressive Strength
Fineness 
 

Geotechnical Investigation

Insitu Density
Permeability
Compressive Strength
Soil Resistance
Shear Vane
Percolation
Load Bearing Capacity
Consolidation  
Unconfirmed Compressive Strength