Tool Dynamically Measures Concrete Floor Flatness Before It Cures

New tool monitors floor flatness before concrete cures. Image courtesy of ClearEdge3D

A collaboration between laser-scanning data capture firms ClearEdge3D and Rithm has resulted in a tool that is able to accurately measure floor flatness while the concrete slab is still wet, allowing pavers to make real-time adjustments.

The team announced the release of the Autodesk Navisworks add-on earlier this year after six months of development work. “We decided to license the IP from [ClearEdge 3D] and build functionality into our platform,” says Phillip Lorenxo, cofounder and chief product developer of StructionSite, which acquired Rithm in 2018. “We always wanted a hardware-neutral platform, a software-neutral platform. Enabling access through Navisworks opens up the doors,” he said in a webinar.

Kelly Cone, vice president of product management at ClearEdge3D, demonstrated how Rithm can be used with any laser scan data. “This gives you the ability to do most of these floor flatness tests in 15 minutes, from scan to finish. You can go through different visual reporting mechanisms like elevation maps and contour lines. You can own that QA process yourself.”

Zoltan Ferenczy, product manager with ClearEdge 3D, said wall heat maps are coming as well. “We will soon be able to monitor changes across scans. Beam and camber analysis will be happening pretty soon as well.”

A debris-analysis function filters out nonrelevant objects, using different colors to visualize elevation changes. “The line work can be exported and given to anyone downstream,” says Ferenczy.

According to ClearEdge3D, the tool can significantly reduce the time needed to produce ASTM E1155 compliant reports on floor flatness and levelness. The tool has achieved 95% confidence within 0.01 in., with more data points, the company adds.

Aileen Cho, ENR's senior transportation editor, is a native of Los Angeles and recovering New Yorker. She studied English and theater at Occidental College, where a reporter teaching the one existing journalism course encouraged her to apply for the LA Times Minority Editing Training Program. Her journalism training led to her first stories about transportation, working as a cub reporter with the Greenwich Time. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Many of her experiences with engineers and contractors have inspired material for her alternative theater productions way, way off Broadway. For ENR, Aileen has traveled the world, clambering over bridges in China, touring an airport in Abu Dhabi and descending into dark subway tunnels in New York City. She is a regular at transportation conferences, where she finds that airport and mass transit engineers really know how to have fun. Aileen is always eager to hop on another flight because there are so many interesting projects and people, and she gets tired of throwing her cats off her computer in her home office in Long Beach, California. She is a very conflicted Mets/Dodgers fan.

Post a comment to this article

Enhancing Collaboration and Surpassing Traditional Design-Build Methods with Progressive Design-Build

Earn: 1 PDH; 1 AIA LU/Elective; 0.1 IACET CEU

Progressive Design-Build is reshaping large infrastructure projects by addressing key issues with the traditional Design-Build approach. We'll explore how PDB fosters collaboration between owners, design-builders, and design teams to develop a well-defined scope and budget, plus minimizes cost overruns and reduces liability claims.