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Building materials testing in the drying oven

Almost 50 years ago, the German construction company Julius Berger Tiefbau AG opened a branch in Nigeria for the construction of the Eko Bridge in Lagos. Today, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc is listed on the Nigerian stock exchange and handles many large construction projects and facility services jobs in Nigeria. The building materials are tested in high-quality in-house laboratories, in which numerous Memmert drying ovens are utilized for conditioning and drying materials.

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc

Nigeria is a country of incredible diversity. Different vegetation zones from savannah woodlands and rain forest areas to vast mangrove swamps mark a contrast to many cosmopolitan and up-and-coming cities. The economic upturn of the West-african country in the 1950ies was based upon the oil reserves of the Niger Delta. Today, Nigeria is not only Africa's largest economy, but also a major emerging market and investment hub of the continent. For five decades now, Julius Berger has been committed to Nigeria. Engineering and construction services for large projects in the fields of structural and civil engineering, the gas and oil industry as well as industrial plants have played a large role in Nigeria's upswing. Julius Berger is the largest private employer in the country, employing approximately 18,000 people from 40 countries.

Highest quality standards

Julius Berger has executed a large number of infrastructure and building projects over its five decade long presence in Nigeria. The company's core values include a commitment to high quality as well as responsibility for employees and society. Besides a Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) management system, the company's quality management system conforms to requirements set by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). In-house production sites and laboratories for quality testing ensure consistent high quality is used in construction projects.

Building material testing in Memmert drying oven

Memmert drying ovens have been used at country-wide Julius Berger building material laboratories to condition and dry building material samples. Tests, for example the determination of grain size distribution, are performed in accordance with international standards such as BS EN 933-1 or national standards. In addition to earth, sand, asphalt and aggregate, red laterite, which is often used as a building material in tropical regions, is also tested. The drying of building material samples until they are a constant mass is done at 110 ± 5° C. Compressed asphalt samples are manufactured at temperatures between 145 and 150° C.

AtmoSAFE would like to thank Julius Berger for its kind support during the preparation of this article.