V&A Condition Indices
In a scene from the 2003 holiday, comedy movie “Elf”, the character Buddy, played by Will Ferrell, discovers the “World’s Best Cup of Coffee” in New York City. Buddy enthusiastically congratulates the coffee shop for having the “world’s best cup of coffee,” The film is poking fun at outlandish claims made by businesses and advertisers when the claim has clearly not been measured and cannot be confirmed. Even if a standard ranking system of the best cup of coffee could be developed, coffee is subjective.
Buddy from the movie “Elf” as he discovers the “World’s best cup of coffee”
At V&A, we are motivated to do our best work. Our definition of our best work includes supporting our clients and the industry in making the most effective steps forward. Our founder, Jose Villalobos, saw the need to develop a standard vernacular for evaluating corrosion. Just as in the case of a cup of coffee, what one person considers “bad corrosion” is subjective.
Our work has taught us that corrosion varies based on the environment and material. There was not a standard for corrosion or a common vernacular for measuring corrosion.
Jose observed a need in the industry to create a standard scale for corrosion and began work to present a comprehensive corrosion scale and index tool. The indices were designed to simplify corrosion for teams in the field. We needed to provide a comprehensive way to understand what “good” or “bad” concrete or metal looks like.
The indices shown below provide a common language, visual reference, and scale for corrosion assessments for metal and concrete from levels 1-5, detailing corrosion at each level and eliminating interpretation.
The indices are named for the organization V-AND-A, or VANDA Index. The handy tool gives operations and maintenance personnel on the front lines a durable visual reference to quickly assess the conditions of concrete and metal, respectively. The consistent ranking of corrosion levels informs the response to the corrosion. The net result of the index application is the development of the most effective corrosion mitigation techniques.
The indices support our customers in knowing when action against corrosion is needed, making it possible to be treated with lower-cost options sooner. We make each of the indices available as a free tool. The VANDA® Indices are designed to make the lives of front-line professionals a little easier and make infrastructure budgets go a bit further. If that sounds like the “best” gift you could receive, request your copies of our VANDA® Indices through our “Let’s Get In Touch” form.