Product Validation

The introduction of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) brings new challenges as both the industry and regulations adapt to the solutions available.

A standardised testing programme does not exist for construction platforms and systems. It means that manufacturers are developing their own approaches to testing.

The Verification and Validation programme addresses this and has created guidance for product manufacturers to use when testing components and systems designed for offsite construction.

It is designed to fit within Stage Four of the CPQP framework and will help manufacturers and constructors to manage their regulatory compliance.

For example, if there is a product failure, manufacturers need to be able to prove that every possible step was taken to reduce risk. This includes being able to easily access relevant information about their products and systems if requested and demonstrating the policies and processes in place.

Verification and Validation (V&V) Guide

The Verification and Validation (V&V) Guide makes the complex process of testing simpler, more efficient and more effective for constructors and product developers to implement.

The guide focuses on the testing of components and their integration as part of a system during the product development process.

It offers a standardised approach based on best practice from the aerospace and software engineering industries and has been adapted to support MMC.

Combining the V&V Guide with CPQP ensures quality at scale and provides the evidence needed that structured processes have been followed and risk has been effectively managed.

The role of the V&V Guide

Guides manufacturers through the development process to verify and validate building systems.
Helps identify client regulatory & performance requirements.
Reduces uncertainty in the identification of standards and test methods.
Assesses requirements of building systems and components.
Aids compliance with previous and future life-cycle phases.
Evidences that best practice, procedures, policies, standards and regulations are met.

Digital Methods of Verification

The Hub’s work in this area has been developed to offer a clear route to product validation as part of a platform-based approach to construction. This will help to ensure that finished products meet all requirements set out at design stage.

A gap analysis was conducted to identify where tests would be required based on existing legislation. It also looked at other sectors, where the use of NDT is already embedded.

This process identified three main areas where NDT could add value:

Testing physical connections between offsite components and systems
Full system and platform-based testing
Testing buildings, during construction and ongoing maintenance regimes.

The purpose was to create a testing system that would respond to the specific requirements of offsite construction and also outline a route to best practice for the wider industry. By having this in place it will drive higher quality standards and greater adoption of MMC.

Non-Destructive Testing

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is the process of inspecting and testing the quality and performance of materials, without damaging or dismantling the products or systems.

The Hub has identified and categorised methods that can be used to check offsite construction products, sub-assemblies and full systems. This will support a platform-based approach to construction, with manufacturers able to review the suggested testing regime for their products and ensure that they comply with legislation.

Why we need NDT

Following the Hackitt Review and the introduction of the Building Safety Act, developers need to demonstrate that quality measures have been taken, including defect prevention and risk assessments.

This applies to materials from testing through to correct installation and maintenance throughout its life cycle. This creates an ongoing and more onerous responsibility than before. NDT can be used to provide evidence that developers have taken the appropriate steps to address these issues for auditing, validation and verification purposes.

This can be done at any time in the process; during manufacturing, transportation, handling and assembling, operation and decommissioning.

For example, NDT techniques can be used to address issues with cladding and fire resisting elements such as gaps, holes, defects and incorrect installation. This includes retrospective action, such as assessing the current condition of cladding in 11-18m buildings.

NDT database

The Hub has developed a database that aligns NDT methods with the five main materials used in construction: metallic elements, concrete, masonry (stonework and brickwork), composite materials and timber.

The database links the tests to the legislative requirements and includes details on the features and characteristics of each. This will allow manufactures to check components, sub-assemblies, systems and products against the law.

Examples include:

Using ultrasonic/PAUT inspection to test connections between structural frames and check mechanical resistance and stability
Using thermography to test energy loss and thermal transmittance of a wall cassette
Using visual inspection to check that fire resistant elements are sealed correctly, for example alongside plumbing and heating pipes or power cables.

Longer term, we believe that this information could be turned into an app, providing a reference tool that people can use as part of their quality and performance checking processes.

Emerging Technologies

The Hub researched the use of emerging technologies in Verification and Validation within offsite construction.

Emerging technologies were defined as those that were being used on a smaller scale and were yet to breakthrough into mainstream use.

For construction, this included technologies as diverse as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, drones and autonomous vehicles, Blockchain, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and Virtual and Augmented Reality.

Gaps were identified including a lack of diversity of structural systems within construction, lack of comprehensive testing for new solutions, and a need for a better understanding of the performance and usage of emerging technologies.

Benefits

With a move to offsite construction, there is more potential for emerging technologies to come to the forefront. New construction methods will be needed and technologies can be tested in a manufacturing-led environment, where there is more control.

Emerging technologies offer the opportunity for greater quality, better health and safety, reduced construction costs and time, and improvements in sustainability and performance.

The requirements for additional data capture and information management also mean that new technologies and solutions will be needed.

Using emerging technologies for verification and validation

Starting with a desk-based literature review, we looked at the following areas that emerging technologies could be implemented within offsite construction:

Design checks: e.g., optimising the design process with AI and machine learning, including BIM reviews and benchmark cost and performance comparisons.
Quality checks: E.g., automatic quality assurance systems that check building models and designs against legislation and standards; component prototyping using additive manufacturing; real time monitoring and quality control of manufacturing process; technology assisted installations and inspections.
Performance checks: E.g., using Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to analyse performance and build quality.

Sandpit projects

The V&V approach has been tested using sandpit activities as case studies within the Hub programme. Find out more about sandpits here.

Gap analysis

The Hub carried out gap analysis in three areas:

Performance validation at system and subassembly level for construction platforms
Performance analysis at component level for MMC, with a specific focus on joints and connections
Requirements at building level for offsite solutions.

The key gaps were around:

Industry design standards – these standards are critical to the ability to scale-up MMC within the industry, there was a lack of consistent design methods and approaches. Design guidelines are needed that are aimed specifically at modular and offsite construction, especially around connections and junctions as these are essential to allow reuse and interoperability.
Mechanical performance – there was no holistic, consistent approach to structural verification of full systems.
Fire performance – fire assessments should be done at full system level to ensure the combined performance of each component or sub-assembly is at the required standard. Testing must also consider the risk of voids between junctions.
Acoustic performance – standards do not exist at a full system level.
Energy performance – standards are needed to ensure that air tightness and thermal bridges are addressed in the design stage at subassembly level and at the full building level.
Sustainability – guidelines on producing and managing relevant, reliable performance data that encompasses the full asset lifecycle, including reuse.

Digital Route to Compliance tool (DRTC)

The Digital Route to Compliance tool is a web-based digital tool to map out the compliance route for construction products and platforms. It acts as a centralised platform where standards and requirements can be procured in a single digital database.

The tool provides test regimes composed of requirements, verification methods and standards in the form of a compliance map and directory for construction products and platforms. It determines the validation requirements and verification methods to achieve compliance for construction products and platforms according to their technical specifications and type of use.

The process facilitates early planning for future testing and certification for route to market, so that validation requirements can be identified and considered early in the design stage to support decision making process and define the best approach for compliance.

The DRTC allows the shift from defect checking to prevention in the product development and validation processes and facilitates early planning for future testing and certification for route to market, therefore, reduces time and costs associated with product validation due to more predictability

iReC – Intelligent Regulatory Compliance

iReC focuses on the creation of an automated process for checking standards for the DRTC tool, and build a compliance database to include the various testing regimes required for components and systems.

It has been developed by BRE’s Product Validation Team in partnership with the i-ReC (Intelligent Regulation Compliance) Team led by Northumbria University in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh).

The standards database for the DRTC tool was developed manually by researching standards and defining their applicability to products. The iReC applies machine learning to automate this process and read through the standards to capture the relevant information automatically. The main benefit is that it significantly increases the efficiency and accuracy of the DRTC tool, by reducing the risk of human error or the incorrect reading of standards.

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