Utilizing hammer tests and ultrasonic pulse velocity to ascertain the compressive strength of concrete

Abstract

This study aimed to estimate the compressive strength of concrete in an existing building using non-destructive testing methods, specifically the hammer test and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The hammer test employed two types of tools, type N, which reads the rebound number (R), and another type that reads the rebound coefficient (Q) value. In the study, 40 column samples were tested, revealing concrete quality measurements of 30.5 MPa and 27.8 MPa obtained from hammer test type N and rebound coefficient (Q), respectively. Meanwhile, the ultrasonic pulse velocity reading was 3288 m/s. The data from the hammer test type N and rebound coefficient (Q) were correlated with the velocity of an ultrasonic pulse velocity, resulting in a linear regression formula of f’c = 0.0137x - 17.12 and f’c = 0.0099x - 2.1973, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R2) of hammer test type N and velocity of an ultrasonic pulse velocity was 0.64, while the coefficient of determination (R2) of hammer test Q value and velocity of an ultrasonic pulse velocity was 0.70. The research predicted that the model for determining the quality of concrete by correlating the hammer test Q value with the velocity of an ultrasonic pulse velocity was better than using hammer test type N.