Soil & Materials Engineering Inc., Consulting Engineers, is an engineering company able to fulfil multiple needs of various sectors of the development and construction industries. Soil & Materials Engineering Inc. will provide four key functions:
The geotechnical engineering and environmental evaluation component of the Company will offer physical site exploration to evaluate the engineering constructability of the site and/or potential environmental risks the site may afford prospective land owners. Once the environmental risks are known, the developer can assess a development strategy. The geotechnical evaluation of the site will determine items such as soil or rock strength and compressibility, groundwater contentions, and potential construction difficulties associated with site specific subsurface conditions. A sister company, residing in the same building, owns drill rigs and sampling equipment enabling us to provide timely service. The data gathered by field and laboratory test programmes are presented in an engineering report to be used by the owner to assess potential cost of development, the architect to optimize site and building planning, and the structural engineer to allow the design of structural foundations, pavements, sewers and other site appurtenances.
The geotechnical section of the Company will also engage in diverse engineering projects such as mining potential and hydrogeologic impact studies. During the development of a project, which includes new construction as well as renovations, our sister organization C.T. Soil & Materials Testing Inc. will provide site inspection and testing services during the various stages of construction. Some items of inspection include soil bearing surface inspections prior to placement of foundation concrete, foundation piling inspection (Including High Strain Dynamic Pile Testing using the Pile Driver Analyser (PDA) with pre-driving WEAP analysis and post-driving CAPWAP analysis, reinforcement steel placement inspection, sampling and testing of plastic concrete, laboratory testing of hardened concrete, field compaction testing of construction fills, laboratory testing of proposed construction fills for project suitability, Portland cement concrete and asphalt concrete mix, inspection and placement of asphalt concrete, inspection of structural steel and metal deck, vapour barrier and building envelope installation inspection, and roofing materials application inspections.
The inspection and testing programme is completed in one of two perspectives: construction testing data presentation to the structural engineers and architects for their assessment and causative action; or independent construction testing and inspection quality assurance where the inspection agency, C.T. Soil & Materials Testing Inc., amasses the inspection and testing data, monitor the results of the testing, and formulates decisions regarding the nature of construction quality prior to final building commissioning.
The third aspect of Soil & Materials Engineering Inc. involves diagnostics of existing structures and structural components. The recent trend in proper building management facilitates the concept of reviewing the expected performance of the structure in order to develop a short term and long term maintenance or replacement budget of planned costs. Condition surveys will involve roof membranes, as well as concrete condition surveys for parking garages, bridge decks, roadways, and driveways.
The concept of a full cycle engineering inspection and evaluation company spanning from the soil-foundation interaction through subsequent building construction and ultimately the structure rehabilitation, is a service convenience to developers, owners, architects and engineers.
Tom O’Dwyer is the president of C.T. Soil Group of Companies, specializing in Geotechnical Engineering Construction as well as Materials Inspection and Testing. Tom has over thirty-five years of consulting experience in Ontario. He graduated in 1983 with a B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of Windsor and obtained additional instruction with post graduate courses in concrete technology, durability of engineering materials, and hydrogeology.
In 1996 he attended Lawrence Tech. University in Southfield Michigan and in 1997 received his Professional Engineering degree to practice in the State of Michigan, then Ohio. Tom continues to upgrade and stays current with ongoing relevant educational topics and courses and holds many certificates and qualifications. Tom holds professional status and is a member of many related associations.
He started his career at Dominion Soil in 1983 as a Jr. Engineer, then became Project Engineer in 1985 and in 1987 became a Senior Engineer. In 1989 Tom became their Windsor Branch Manager. He has been successfully operating his own company in both Canada and in the United States since 1992 and 1997, respectively.