CARES and the reinforced concrete industry

1
CARES and the reinforced concrete industry

• Providing confidence in
• reinforcing steels

2
CARES Certification

• What is Product Certification?
• What is CARES?
• What does CARES certification cover?
• How does it work?
• How does it inform the marketplace?

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What is Product Certification ?

• A substitute for 2nd party (customer) approval.
  To give confidence to customers that there is a
  reduced risk of non-compliance.
• Specific to an individual product or product
  type.
• Use standard(s) wherever possible.
• Operates primarily in the field of steel for
  construction.
• Reinforcing Steel / Prestressing Steel /
  Structural Steel.
• Be appropriate to the product.
• Use dedicated skills, experience and knowledge.

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Objective of Product Certification

• To reduce the Risk to the user.

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Mission of CARES

• Provide service to the supply chain recognising
  the importance of the construction client.
• Ensure compliance of performance of materials,
  products and services through application of
  certification schemes.

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CARES

• Independent third party product certification
  scheme.
• Set up in 1980 by UK concrete supply chain.
• Objective To operate and promote certification
  schemes to ensure consistent compliance with
  appropriate product standards
• Operates primarily in the field of steel for
  construction.
• Reinforcing Steel / Prestressing Steel /
  Structural Steel.
• Funded solely by certification fees.
• Not-for-profit company. Service to concrete
  sector.
• Voluntary scheme, supported by Specifiers/Clients.
  
• Accredited under international requirements - ISO
  Guide 65.

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CARES Structure

• Current
• Members.
• Board of Directors (nominated by Members).
• Executive Committee (business).
• Chairmans Group (remuneration, Terms and
  Conditions of employment).
• Technical committees (Rebar / PT /
  Sustainability).
• CARES (executive).

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CARES CertficationSchemes.

• Reinforcing Steel (SRC).
• Post Tensioning (PT).
• Technical Approvals (TA).
• CE Marking.
• Sustainable Constructional Steel (SCS).
• Others
• ISO14001(EMS), OHSAS18001, ISO9001.

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Post Tensioning

• Installation Highways and non-Highways.
• Anchorages (ETAG013).
• Installation of Bar kits.
• Void Grouting.
• Prestressing bar, wire and strand (BS5896).
• Grout (pre-bagged).

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CE Marking.
The requirements of CE Marking will relate to the
particular product standard and the certification
systems which underpin those standards. Such CE
Marking, for which CARES can give certification
due to its Notified Body (standard) and Issuing
Body (European Technical Approvals EOTA)
status, should not be regarded as CARES voluntary
certification.
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Welding

• Metallurgically/Structurally Important.
• Summary- BS7123 is being replaced by IS17760.
  Neither very good (in various parts) and CARES
  Cherry-Picks- Appendices 6, 10.
• Appendix 6 Tack welding.
• Appendix 10 Load Bearing welding.
• Key current issues-
• Training/Qualification/Registration.
• Welding co-ordinator.

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• Sustainable Constructional Steels.
  

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Technical Approvals no Standard.

• Mechanical couplers ( the product).
• Continuity Strips.
• Shear reinforcement.
• Structural Ties.
• Pile Cage Formers.
• Balcony Systems.
• Stainless Steel (non-standard).

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CARES Schemes/Standards.

• Reinforcing Steel BS4449/BS8666/BS4483.
• (EN 10080 Euro Standard- not complete).
• Prestressing Steel (Bar/Wire/Strand)
• (BS5896 being revised 2011 prEN10138)
• Technical Approvals Couplers/ Shear
  reinforcement/ Continuity Strips etc).
• CE Marking.
• Sustainable Reinforcing Steel (SRS).
• Others
• ISO14001(EMS), OHSAS18001, ISO9001.

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Reinforcement Products covered by CARES
Production Steel bar/coil to BS 4449 2005 Grades B500A, B500B and B500C BS 4449 1997 Grades 460 A/B and 250 Fabric to BS 4483 1998 and 2005
Processing Cut and bent bar/coil to BS 4466/BS 8666 Pre-assembled welded fabrications (BS 7123) Mechanical splices (BS 8110 / BS 5400 / BNFL)
Installation On-site management including fixing of reinforcement
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Manufacture, processing and supply -
Certification.
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Risks of using a non-CARES approved supplier

• Poor process control leading to high variability
• No knowledge of product standard
• Incorrect testing / No testing equipment
• Damage during processing
• Incorrect processing
• Poor product traceability
• Non-compliant product

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Reinforcing Steel

• Bar/Coil (BS4449and BS6744)
• Fabric (BS4483)
• Cutting and Bending (BS8666)
• Welding - Tack and Load Bearing (ISO17660)
• Application of mechanical couplers
• Stocking and distribution / Trading.

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Reinforcing Steel Properties

• Bar/Coil (BS4449) Grade B500A, B and C.
• Variability- Bar.
• - 7/8 N/mm2 on any 1 bar.
• - 15/20 N/mm2 on any 1 cast.
• - 30/40 N/mm2 on a population (LTQL)
• (50/50 Material and Testing )
• (Accuracy of result depends on the property
  being tested.)

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Product standard
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Material Testing BS4449
10mm
25mm
40mm
C1
C2
C4
C5
C6
C7
C8
C9
C3
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
90 SAMPLES
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Assessment process

• Product certification.
• In all cases, CARES looks closely at
• Product Testing
• Process Control
• Management System

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Auditing and evaluation.

• Scheme Manual (for each scheme).
• General requirements (how the scheme works).
• Application form and declaration.
• Regulations (e.g. use of marks).
• Assessment schedules (technical requirements).

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Assessment process

• Application for a defined scope.
• Preliminary Inspection assessment of
  capability.
• Initial Assessment (audit testing).
• Six-monthly audit (audit testing).
• Yearly certificate.
• 3-yearly re-assessment (audit testing).

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Assessment reinforcing steel

• Audit (product, process and management system).
• Testing (In process, witness, independent).
• Issue with a certificate and mark.
• Quarterly submissions of customer complaints.
• Quarterly submissions of LTQL data (BS4449).
• Yearly certificate re-issue.

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TRACEABILITY
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CARES Identification System
Country or Regional Grouping is as
follows- Germany 1
rib Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
2 ribs France 3
ribs Italy 4 ribs
United Kingdom, Eire
5 ribs Scandinavia
6 ribs Spain, Portugal
7 ribs Greece, Turkey
8 ribs Outside Europe
9 ribs
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Manufacturer's statement of product test results

• the cast number and cast analysis
• the carbon equivalent value
• the results of tensile and rebend tests
• the CARES bar mark
• the CARES logo and certificate of approval number
  
• the address of the producing works
• the amount delivered and consignment number
• the date of supply
• the name and address of the customer
• a statement of compliance to the customer's order
  requirements

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Full product traceability
Product Label
Product Marking
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Customer Complaints

• Errors will always occur.
• Manufacturers
• All complaints recorded, investigated and
  actioned.
• CARES
• Requires quarterly submissions
• Verified at six-monthly audit
• External complaints procedure operated

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Management

• Operations Manager Certification.
• Inspection Programme
• Administration
• Company Secretary.
• Scheme Managers (Assessment)
• Steel.
• Construction.
• Sustainability.

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The engineers risks

• Unknown metallurgical history
• Poor process control
• Falsification of product test results
• Lack of traceability of reinforcing steel from
  producer to processor to site
• Verification of mechanical, chemical and fatigue
  properties

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Monitoring of CARESScheme performance

• Records of complaints against Approved firms
• Stakeholder representation on CARES Board
• Market intelligence from a number of different
  sources
• Single point of reference

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www.ukcares.com

• CARES List of Approved Firms
• Technical Reports
• Compliance with product standards
• Specific analyses of test data

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CARES and the reinforced concrete industry

• Providing confidence in
• reinforcing steels