Quality ingredients are key to producing quality concrete. Using the latest technology and equipment, we test every ingredient in our mixes to ensure the correct elements are present in the right proportions and fully conform to the manufacturer’s stated specifications.

​Field testing is critical to construction success. Prairie technicians work in our concrete yards and on the job site to ensure that all materials and mixes meet or exceed your specifications. We constantly monitor our mixes, making adjustments in response to weather conditions and changes in construction methods.

​Lab testing Lab testing is another critical factor. Our main lab is equipped with three separate compression machines for breaking cylinders, beams, and mortar cubes, with capacities of up to 675,000 pounds. We break 4”x8” and 6”x12” cylinders over a range of dates to ensure our concrete delivers the required strength – anywhere from 4,000 to 18,000 psi. We also test cylinders for modulus of elasticity and beams for flexural strength. Additionally, we monitor tests performed by a project’s lab of record, conducting our own independent tests to verify their results.

​​The valuable services offered by Prairie’s Quality Control and Technical Services teams include:

• Specification review
• Custom mix design and testing
• Color matching and sample preparation
• Field services
• Lab services
• Historical performance data analysis

​Lab Services

Prairie’s state-of-the-art concrete lab in Bridgeview, Illinois, reflects our commitment to the highest standards of product quality and innovation. Headed by Mike Pistilli, an ACI fellow and member of the ASTM Standards Committee, our full-time lab experts focus on these five areas:

• Quality control. We assure that each of our standard and custom mixes reaches the desired specifications within the required period of time by testing field samples as well as fresh concrete.
• Custom mix design. Working in partnership with engineers, designers, and contractors, we develop and test new mixes to satisfy specific project challenges.
• Forensics and troubleshooting. We use advanced methods and equipment to determine why and how concrete failed in a given setting. We use what we learn to develop recommendations that will lead to future success.
• Research and development. We work to improve and perfect mixes, while exploring new methods to achieve desired qualities in finished concrete.
• Historical performance data. We evaluate the consistency of mix design over long periods of time to determine standard deviations from design to performance.

Testing for critical quality measures

Prairie’s lab team employs a range of testing procedures, including physical and chemical analysis, electroanalysis, and petrographic as well as microscopic examination. We test concrete samples, cements, chemical admixtures, aggregates, pozzolans, and mix additives such as fibers, along with other cementitious materials. Among the qualities we test for are setting and stripping time, strength gain, color consistency, strength vs. size and issues that affect finishing.​