Pile Testing

Point Load Test

Point Load Testing is used to determine rock strength indexes in geotechnical practice. The point load test apparatus and procedure enable economical testing of core or lump rock samples in either a field or laboratory setting. The Point Load Test (PLT) is an attractive alternative to the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) because it can provide similar data at much lower cost. The PLT has been used in geotechnical analysis for over thirty years (ISRM, 1985). The PLT involves the compressing of a rock sample between conical steel plates until failure occurs. The apparatus for this consists of a rigid frame body, two-point load platens, a hydraulically activated ram with pressure gauge and a device for measuring the distance between the loading points. The pressure gauge should be of the type in which the failure pressure can be recorded. A state of art point load testing device with sophisticated pressure reading instrumentation is shown in Figure 1 below.

Loading...