SERVICES

Our Service Offerings

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Cladding Testing

General Industry Surveillance (GIS) has been certified by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) as one of the trusted cladding testing organization nation-wide. Our laboratories, which are supported by RMIT University, offer a range of mechanical, physical and chemical composition testing services.

GIS is approved to provide ACP classification in accordance to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) categories. Our materials experts are PhDs in Chemistry and Materials Science.

GIS provides cladding testing services including:

  • Cladding Combustibility
  • Cladding Flammability
  • Cladding Identification
  • Cladding Composition

Combustibility Rating on building cladding materials

  • Aluminum Composite Panel (ACP)
  • Aluminum Composite Materials (ACM)
  • Aluminum Panel Cladding
  • Rendered Expanded Polystyrene(EPS Cladding)

Materials Identification on sparking and insulation materials

  • Expanded Polystyrene Panels (EPS)
  • Polyisocyanurate (PIR) Foam
  • Glass Wool/PET Wool
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Polymer Testing

GIS can assess the quality and chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of plastics, polymers and composite materials to Australian (AS/NZS), ASTM and ISO standards. We are dedicated to delivering the highest quality test data. We are capable of developing a custom testing program for pre-compliance with international standards or general quality assurance. Some of the materials testing services offered by GIS include:

Composition: Oftentimes, businesses need to know with certainty what materials are in the composite materials they intend to use — such as thermoplastics, resins and sandwich core materials.

Tensile/Compression: From plastics and metals to adhesives and rubbers, tensile/compression testing is a form of materials testing that places specimens under precise compressive loads to measure their ability to withstand compression before deformation occurs.

Flexure: When a product like an I-beam or girder used in construction must support a predetermined amount of weight without sagging, a flexure materials test is often performed to verify that the specimen can withstand a certain level of stress without flexing.

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Geosynthetic Testing

GIS offers a comprehensive range of geosynthetic testing, covering

Geosynthetic Clay Liner, Geomembranes, Geotextiles and Geocomposites.

Testing is conducted in accordance with ASTM International, ISO, GRI, and Australian/New Zealand standards (AS/NZS). Our staff has years of experience testing and designing with geosynthetics materials. We’ve provided these services in support of thousands of projects including solid waste, mechanically-stabilized earth (MSE) walls, roadways, and lagoons.
We perform conformance and performance testing on many geosynthetics materials including:

  • Geomembrane
  • Geotextile
  • Geonet
  • Geogrid
  • Geotextile
  • Geosynthetic Clay Liner

GIS provides state-of-the-art testing facilities to measure the mechanical and physical properties of soil, rock, geosynthetics, aggregate, concreate, and other geo-materials. We utilize best practices and advanced testing equipment to provide fast, accurate results.

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What We Do Since 1993

Aluminium composite panel fire - Grenfell Tower in London
ACP Cladding (Image from Google)

Geeral Industry Surveillance (GIS) is a materials testing organization in Melbourne, Victoria. Our laboratories offer a range of mechanical, physical and chemical composition testing services.

GIS has been certified by the Insurance Council of Australia as one of the trusted testing organization nation-wide. ​Please refer to ICA Protocol for combustible façade ( ICA link ). GIS is a fully qualified testing laboratory which has demonstrated to the insurance industry that they can accurately classify the different categories of ACP.

We can accurately identify the flammability, composition and toxicity of Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) cladding and associated insulations, and provide ACP classification in accordance to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) categories. The cladding testing service conducted in GIS lab include：

  • Aluminium Panel Cladding Testing
  • ACP Combustibility Test
  • ACP Core Identification
  • ACP Core Composition
  • ACP Sample Testing.

GIS laboratory has extensive experience in applying the following methods to grade the Aluminium Composite Cladding (ACP), Aluminium Panel Cladding, and other building cladding materials:

  • Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) (ASTM E573-01)
  • Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) (ASTM E1131-08)
  • X-ray diffraction (XRD) (ASTM C1365-18)
  • Dry Ash content (ASTM D5630-13)

GIS is committed to work with our clients’ needs to ensure the reliable and high-quality outcomes of cladding testing.

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ACP Cladding Samples Tested by GIS
Testing Instruments in GIS lab

Exterior Cladding Audit

Since 1993

Step 1 – Building Facade Assessment

A desktop review of building specifications and an onsite building inspection need to conduct to assess the type of facade material that was used on a building.

Step 2 – Identification of Materials

The identification of ACPs or other combustible façade materials is the critical step in the process of identifying the potential hazard to a building. GIS laboratory will provide an accurate cladding assessment and risk report based on the testing results. The report will specify the cladding material as either combustible or non-combustible.

Step 3 – Evaluating the Exposure

Using the identification and quantification outcomes of Step 2, the purpose of this step is to provide a consistent report into the exposure of the building regarding the presence of ACPs or other combustible façade materials.

Step 4 – Remedial Actions for Consideration

Remedial actions will depend on the category of ACP or other combustible façade material and insulation/sarking installed. Fire Engineers may offer an alternative to a complete or partial facade replacement. The acceptability of any solutions should be agreed by all parties involved.