For the past 4-5 years the Concrete Manufacturers Association has been doing research and testing of concrete block paving to establish the most reliable and efficient test methods to guarantee that the concrete block pavers will perform satisfactorily when laid. The current South African standard SANS 1058 was written in 1986 with only minor amendments since and it has been shown to have several shortcomings. The standard only calls for checking dimensions and testing structural strength by means of a compressive strength test. There are no tests for abrasion resistance or water absorption and problems do occur in the field where pavers meet the requirements of SANS 1058.
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