A Non-destructive Method to Predict the Compressive Strength of Building Materials

Abstract

Abstract Laboratory tests used to determine the compressive strength (CS) of building materials are both time-consuming and relatively costly. Numerous alternative methods have been developed for the indirect determination of CS. One of them is the nail gun. The driving energies of commercially available nail guns are generally constant, and nailers of different energies need to be used for materials with varying levels of compressive strengths. The scope of this investigation is to indirectly predict the compressive strength of most common building materials by establishing an empirical relationship between nail penetration resistance and CS by employing a single and simple tool. In the research, rocks, bricks, and concretes prepared in different cement/sand ratios with different strength ranges were used as materials. The compressive strength of the materials used in the experiments was first determined by conventional compression tests. The nail penetration depths were determined by conducting experiments on the same materials using a nailer with two different energy levels. An empirical relationship was developed by using nail penetration depths, driving energies, and nail diameters as the independent variables and the compressive strength determined by the conventional method as the dependent variable. According to the empirical relationship determined by multiple regression analysis, the compressive strength of building materials can be estimated with 89% accuracy by the nail penetration method.