See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/268742367

Technical Report on Schmidit Hammer Test.

Technical Report · January 2014

CITATIONS READS

0 6,269

1 author:

Ammar Saleem Khazaal

Tikrit University
15 PUBLICATIONS   6 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Behavior evaluation of self-compacting concrete exposed to elevated temperature View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Ammar Saleem Khazaal on 25 November 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

Report on:
Evaluation of Cast Concrete using
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

Non-Destructive Technique by Schmidt

Hammer Test.

Name of Project:

‫ ﺸرﻜﺔ ﺘوزﻴﻊ اﻝﻤﻨﺘﺠﺎت‬/‫ﻤﺤطﺔ اﻝﺤﺠﺎج اﻝﺤﻜوﻤﻴﺔ‬

‫اﻝﻨﻔطﻴﺔ‬

January 2014
Report No.: CCW-02/NDSH-TIK

IRAQ-TIKRIT, P. O. Box, (42)

‫اﻝﻤﺤﺘوﻴﺎت‬
engineeringtikrit@yahoo.com
+964 (0) 770 516 8043
 List of Contents

Item Description Page

# #
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

1 Introduction. 1
1-1 Authorization & Scope. 1
2 Historical Background. 2
3 Mechanism of Test 3
4 Factors that Affect Rebound Hammer Numbers 4
5 Using the Rebound Hammer to Locate Requiring 5
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

Additional Investigations.
6 Evaluation of Results. 7

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-

Destructive Technique by Schmidt
Hammer Test.
‫ ﺸرﻜﺔ ﺘوزﻴﻊ اﻝﻤﻨﺘﺠﺎت اﻝﻨﻔطﻴﺔ‬/‫ﻤﺤطﺔ اﻝﺤﺠﺎج اﻝﺤﻜوﻤﻴﺔ‬
‫ﻓرع ﺼﻼح اﻝدﻴن‬

1. Introduction:
1-1 Authorization & Scope
This test has been conducted by Engineering Consulting Bureau of
College of Engineering/Tikrit University (ECB), according to test request
addressed by Oil Products Distribution Company/Salah Addin Province
Branch of Ref. 12764 dated in 22/12/2013.

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
1
 2. Historical Background:
Concrete has significantly influenced the nature of engineering
projects. Concrete as a composite materials, is generally composed of
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

cement, sand, aggregate, water, mineral admixtures and chemical

admixtures. Considerable work has been conducted to develop rapid, non-
destructive tests (NDTs) that provide a reproducible measure of concrete
quality in a structure. Constructed structures have to be investigated for
evaluating the serviceability and safety from time to time. Also structures
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

which are suspected to any strength failure are to be tested to maintain

sustainability evaluation. The results of these evaluations would be used
by structural engineer to specify whether the structure should be
reinforced or not and also to maintain the design criteria for reinforcing
suspicious structure. Act of evaluation can be done non-destructive or
destructive and due to cost and damage of destructive tests, non-
destructive tests are of a great interest.
The Rebound Hammer test has been around since 1940’s and today
is a commonly used method for estimating the compressive strength of in-
place concrete. Developed in 1948 by a Swiss Engineer named Ernst
Schmidt, the device measures the hardness of concrete surface using the
rebound principle. The device is often referred to as a Swiss Hammer.

The Swiss Hammer, at times, is not used properly. This usually

happens when someone attempts to solely use the rebound values obtained
and the correlation chart provided by the equipment producer to determine
the compressive strength of concrete. The ASTM standard test method
has been revised several times in recent years and the current revision of
the document is ASTM C805-13, Standard Test Method for Rebound
Number of Hardened Concrete.

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
2
 3. Mechanism of Test:
ASTM C805, “Standard Test Method for Rebound Number of
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

Hardened Concrete”, summarizes the procedure as “A steel hammer

impacts, with a predetermined amount of energy, a steel plunger in contact
with a surface of concrete, and the distance that the hammer rebounds is
measured”. The device consists of a plunger rod and an internal spring
loaded steel hammer and a latching mechanism. When the extended
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

plunger rod is pushed against a hard surface, the spring connecting the
hammer is stretched and when pushed to an internal limit, the latch is
released causing the energy stored in the stretched spring to propel the
hammer against the plunger tip. The hammer strikes the shoulder of the
plunger rod and rebounds a certain distance. There is a slide indicator on
the outside of the unit that records the distance travelled during the
rebound. This indication is known as the rebound number. By pressing the
button on the side of unit, the plunger is then locked in the retracted
position and the rebound number (R-number) can be read from the
graduated scale. A higher R-number indicates a greater hardness of the
concrete surface.

The tests can be performed in horizontal, vertically upward,

vertically downward or any intermediate angled position in relation to the
surface as shown in Plate (1). The devices are furnished with correlation
curves by the manufacturer. ASTM C805 now states that these references
to the relationship between the rebound number and compressive strength
provided by the manufacturer “shall be used only to provide indications
of relative concrete strength at different locations in a structure”. To
obtain greater accuracy of test results, it is recommended that the user

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
3
 develop a correlation for the device on each concrete mixture design to be
tested and at the intended test angle.
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

Plate (1) Horizontal orientation of hammer during a measurement.

4. Factors that Affect Rebound Hammer Numbers:

Since the rebound hammer measures the surface hardness of the
concrete, it is important to understand all the items that might affect the
surface conditions of the concrete and thus, the rebound hammer numbers.
These factors include:
1. Smoothness of the surface.
2. Size and shape of concrete sample.
3. The rigidity of the test area.
4. Age of the concrete.
5. Surface moisture.
6. Internal moisture (moisture gradient).
7. Coarse aggregate.
8. Type of cement.
9. Forms used.
10.Carbonation.
11.Location of the reinforcement.
12.Frozen concrete.

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
4
 For these reasons, the user of the rebound hammer must follow exact
procedure and use engineering judgment. To illustrate this, the following
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

chart shows how the effects of the coarse aggregates in concrete of the
same strength can have on the rebound hammer.

Concretes of Same Strength

Engineering College –University of Tikrit

Aggregates Rebound Number

River Rock 40

Granite 37

Limestone 32

Lightweight 31

5. Using the Rebound Hammer to Locate Requiring Additional

Investigations:
One of the ways to use the rebound hammer is to locate those
areas that may need additional investigation. In this procedure the
rebound hammer is used at several locations to identify those areas that
have a lower rebound number. Since the structure would have the same
mixture, curing history, moisture content, etc., the rebound hammer can
identify those areas that appear to have the weakest concrete (lowest
rebound hammer number).

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
5
 35 37 38
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

24 30 34

22 26 30

Area to be cored to test

Engineering College –University of Tikrit

strength

As illustrated above, the area that needs additional investigation is

shown in the circled area. This might be done by taking cores, visual
inspection and/or by a structural evaluation of the impact of a low
strength concrete in this particular area.
ASTM C805 Standard test for Rebound Numbers of Hardened
Concrete, provides some standard procedures so that the user can have
consistency when using the rebound hammer. Some of these standard
procedures are:
1. Do not test frozen concrete.
2. The test area must be at least 150 mm (6 inches) in diameter
and fixed rigidity within the surface.
3. The surface to be tested must be flat with no loose mortar.
4. The surface to be tested must be free form water.
5. If the layer of carbonated concrete is thick, it should be
removed before testing.
6. The hammer must be held in the same direction- horizontal,
upward, downward and it should be always be at right angle
to the surface being tested.
7. Do not test over reinforcement with a cover of less than 20
mm (3/4 inch).

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
6
 8. If estimated concrete strength takes at least two cores from
six locations that have different rebound hammer number.
9. Take 10 rebound hammer readings at each test area, all
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

additional readings should be at least 25 mm (1 inch apart).

10. Discard any reading that is over six units from the average
and calculate the average of the remaining readings.
11. If two units are over six units from the average, discard the
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

entire set of reading and redo the test.

6. Evaluation of Results:
Date of casting concrete was at 10 Nov. 13, and the date of
conducting test was at 11 Jan. 14, so the enclosed period is 65 calendar
days which matches the requirement of ASTM C 805 Standard.
Notes:
1. The locations were stated by Supervisor Engineer.
2. The test was conducted according to ASTM C 805 Standard
Procedure.

8m

11/(11) 6/(14) 1/(11)

12/(13) 7/(11) 2/(22)

6m

13/(13) 8/(13) 3/(21)

14/(13) 9/(15) 4/(15)

15/(13) 10/(18) 5/(14)

Layout of Readings.

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
7
 Numbers in black colors represent locations were readings using Schmidt
hammer test were taken, while the red ones represent the measured
compressive strengths in N/mm2.
ENGINEERING CONSULTING BUREAU

According to above results, the average of measured strengths is 14.50

N/mm2, which not matches the requirement of point # 10 in Item # 4
(Pages # 5 – 6) above.
Engineering College –University of Tikrit

The above highlighted cells in yellow color should be neglected and the
average to be calculate again, the new average of measured strengths is
13.38 N/mm2.

Due to lack any information of Characteristic Strength at 28 days

age, we have no evidence to decide that the concrete is inadequate from
structural point of view, but in any case such average strength in above is
less that Characteristic Strength. If the average in above is less than the
Characteristic Strength, the in below recommendations in red color should
be consider.

Recommendations: In such case above, it recommends either re-

conducting the test using Non-destructive test using Ultrasonic Test
Method/or Core Test Method.
Digitally signed by Ammar S.
Khazaal
DN: cn=Ammar S. Khazaal, c=IQ,
o=Tikrit University, ou=College of
Engineering,
email=akhazaal56@gmail.com
Reason: I am the author of this
document
Location: Tikrit/Iraq
Date: 2014.01.26 22:28:57
+03'00'

Tester Report edited by

Eng. Haythem N. Marouf Eng. Ammar S. Khazaal.
26 Jan. 14 Constructional Materials Consultant
26 Jan. 14

Evaluation of Cast Concrete using Non-Destructive

Technique by Schmidt Hammer Test.
AL-Hejaj Petrol Station.
8
View publication stats