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Point Load Test
Laboratory Testing
On This Day
March 31st 1840
Benjamin Baker was
University of Alberta, Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering
born
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Contents [hide] Trending
1. Introduction
2. Test Apparatus
3. Size and Shape of Specimens
4. Testing Procedure
4.1. Diametral Test
4.2. Axial Test
4.3. Block Lump Test
4.4. Irregular Lump Test
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5. Validity of PL tests Nov, 03, 2023 | Education
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6. Anisotropic Rock
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7. Calculations Standard Penetration
7.1. Estimation ofHOME NEWS
Uniaxial CompressiveEVENTS PUBLICATIONS
Strength (UCS)
based on IS50 EDUCATION JOBS Testing (SPT) GALLERY
SOFTWARE
7.2. Calculation Example
8. References
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Introduction
Apr, 30, 2020 | Education
Soil Compaction Test
Point Load (PL) is a test that aims at characterizing rock materials in terms of strength. It is an index
test, meaning that it can be performed relatively quickly and without the necessity of sophisticated
equipment to provide important data on the mechanical properties of rocks. Index tests have been
widely used in soil mechanics (ex., particle size distribution, relative density, Atterberg Limits, water Mar, 21, 2020 | Education
content) but are recently introduced in rock mechanics.
Step-by-Step Guide for
Grain Size Analysis
The strength of a rock material is a critical factor especially in designing civil and mining engineering
projects. Deriving this critical property is not an easy task, since it requires laboratory tests and
special equipment (loading machines, core drilling and sampling techniques). Point Load test is an
Mar, 22, 2020 | Education
alternate method that can be used to adequately predict the uniaxial compressive strength of a rock
Atterberg Limits
material using a portable and simpler equipment. Schmidt Hammer Rebound test is also a technique
used for this purpose but, it is admitted that its results are far more variable and affected by testing
methods.
Test Apparatus
A rock sample with various shapes (see below) is subjected to compression between two conical
steel platens until failure. The apparatus consists of a rigid loading frame, a loading measuring
May, 28, 2020 | Education
system and a simple system of measuring the distance between the two platens. This distance is
Direct Shear Test
usually 1.5 to 10 centimeters so that specimens of various sizes can be tested.
The capacity of the loading machine is usually 25kN or 50kN and typically utilizes a hydraulic
pressure gauge.
May, 07, 2020 | Education
The load measurements are accurate to, at least, 5% regardless of the strength and the size of the Soil Consolidation and
sample. A typical, digital, Point Load Test apparatus is presented in Figure 1. Oedometer Test
Jul, 15, 2020 | Education
Measurement of
Specific Gravity of
Soils
Aug, 10, 2020 | Education
Point Load Test
Figure 1: Digital Point Load Test Apparatus by ControlsGroup ([Link])
Size and Shape of Specimens
Mar, 21, 2024 | Education
A benefit of Point Load tests is that they can be conducted on cylindrical, rectangular or even CPT Interpretation
irregular specimens given that they comply with some geometric regulations. According to the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), a specimen’s external dimensions must range
between 3,0 to 8,5 centimeters with the preferred dimension being 5 centimeters.
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Testing ProcedureHOME NEWS EVENTS PUBLICATIONS EDUCATION JOBS SOFTWARE GALLERY
Depending on the shape of the specimen, the Point Load strength index can be derived via 4
different types of tests:
Diametral Test
Diametral Point Load Tests are conducted on cylindrical samples. The ratio of the specimen’s length
to its diameter (2L/D) should be more than unity. The sample is placed in the loading device and is
loaded perpendicular to its core axis so that the platens make contact along its diameter. The
distance between the free end and the location of the contact points must be greater than 0.5D.
Then, the distance between the contact points (which should be equal to the diameter) is recorded
and the specimen is loaded to failure. A schematic of a diametral point load test is presented in
Figure 2.
Figure 2: Sample’s shape requirements for the Diametral PL Test and loading forces applied by the apparatus platens.
Axial Test
The Axial Point Load Test is conducted on cylindrical samples that have a relatively smaller length.
The ratio between the length and the diameter of the specimen must range between 0.3 and 1.0.
The specimen is placed so that the loading platens are parallel to its core axis. The distance
between the contact points is measured before initiating the test. A typical configuration of an axial
PL test is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Sample’s shape requirements for the Axial PL Test and loading forces applied by the apparatus platens
Block Lump Test
Block Lumps Tests are conducted on rectangular prism samples with a preferable dimension of 5.0 ±
3.5 centimeters. The sample is placed in the apparatus so that its smallest dimension makes contact
with the loading platens. As shown in Figure 4, the Diameter to Width ratio should be between 0.3
and 1.0 and the length between the contact points and the free end of the sample, must be greater
than 0.5D.
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Figure 4: Sample’s shape requirements for the Block Lump PL Test and loading forces applied by the apparatus platens
Irregular Lump Test
PL tests may also be carried out in irregular blocks that resemble the geometry of a rectangular
prism. In this case, a cross-section of a certain block is considered a trapezoid with its top and
bottom bases (W1 and W2) being parallel and its height being constant (D). An average width is
calculated (W=(W1+W2)/2) and the loading process is similar to that of the Block Lump Test. A
schematic of the specimen’s geometric characteristics and the loading forces applied during the PL
test is depicted in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Sample’s Shape Requirements for the Irregular Lump PL Test and loading forces applied by the apparatus platens
In all cases, at least 10 samples of the examined material should be tested in order to obtain reliable
results (even more required if the rock is anisotropic or heterogeneous). The distance D should be
recorded within ±2% accuracy. The load should steadily increase so that the specimen fails within 10
to 60 seconds.
Validity of PL tests
Based on the mode of failure, Point Load tests are classified as valid or invalid. Invalid tests are not
taken into consideration in the final results; therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge when a test is
valid. The failure surface should pass through both contact points. Typical examples of valid and
invalid modes of failure in PL tests are depicted in Figure 6.
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Figure 6: a,b,c) Typical modes of failure for valid PL tests. d, e) Typical modes of failure for invalid PL tests (ISRM, 1985)
Anisotropic Rock
A rock material is considered anisotropic when its mechanical properties change depending on the
loading direction. This property is actually presented in many rocks since weak planes are created
due to geologic processes and the materials do not appear homogenous. Schist, marble, gneiss and
phyllite are some examples of rocks presenting anisotropic behavior.
Regarding PL test, such materials should be tested in the directions of the maximum and minimum
strength. Those directions are parallel and perpendicular to the anisotropy planes as shown in
Figure 7. The best results are obtained using core specimens in which the core axis is perpendicular
to the anisotropy planes.
Figure 7: Point Load test on a) the direction of the maximum strength and b) the direction of minimum strength in
anisotropic rocks
Calculations
When a PL test is completed, the raw data include the dimensions of the sample and the load of
failure P (kN).
Initially, the equivalent core diameter “De” is calculated based on the shape of the specimen as:
Where, A is the minimum cross-section area of a plane through the contact point of the planes and is
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The Uncorrected Point Load Strength IS (the term will be explained below), is derived via the
following equation:
It is generally acknowledged that, in rock mechanics, the size of a tested specimen affects its
mechanical properties. This is highly associated with the non-homogenous nature of rock materials.
In bigger samples, there is a higher probability of a weaker plane or a fracture affecting the behavior
of the material. For this reason, the value of the IS is corrected based on the size of the sample to a
reference dimension (50mm) as:
Where, F is a size correction factor which is calculated as:
After each corrected PL strength index is calculated, the two highest and two lowest values are
excluded (given that 10 or more tests have been conducted on the tested material) and the average
IS50 is derived.
Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) based on IS50
The PL tests are a rock classification index but they can also be used to estimate the UCS of the
tested rock. There have been many studies on the correlation between IS50 and UCS and research
has shown that there is no valid relation that could predict with high accuracy the actual UCS of a
material based on IS50. However, an approximate value can be determined.
The UCS can be estimated using the following formula:
Where C is a constant that depends on the UCS and IS50 ratio. To correctly derive the value of C
both PL and UCS tests must be conducted on the tested material but, if no such data are available,
generalized values of C for core samples can be used as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Generalized values of C based on the size of core samples (Data from ASTM, 1995)
For core sizes that range between the given values of Table 1, a linear interpolation can be utilized
to derive the value of C.
Calculation Example
Suppose that 10 core samples were prepared for diametral PL tests. The distance between the
contact points of the two platens (D) and the length between a contact point and the free end (L) are
measured before the beginning of the test and presented in Table 2.
The derived parameters including the IS, IS50 and the estimated UCS of each specimen are shown in
Table 3.
Table 2: Dimension measurements uses
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Table 3: The parameters derived including the corrected IS50 and the estimated UCS of each
specimen
Based on the derived results, the average IS50 and average UCS of the test set is calculated by
excluding the two highest and lowest values of each parameter:
References
ISRM (1985): Suggested method for determining point load strength. International Journal of Rock
Mechanics and Mining Sciences and Geomechanical Abstract, 22(2), 51-60.
ASTM D5731-16, Standard Test Method for Determination of the Point Load Strength Index of Rock
and Application to Rock Strength Classifications, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA,
2016, [Link]
Media
MinE 323-Point load strength Index (lab 1)
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Lecture on Determination of Point Load Strength Index
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University of Alberta, Civil and Environmental Engineering, School ofEDUCATION
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and Petroleum Engineering
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