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 content) but are recently introduced in rock mechanics.

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 alternate method that can be used to adequately predict the uniaxial compressive strength of a rock 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.

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 content) but are recently introduced in rock mechanics.

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 alternate method that can be used to adequately predict the uniaxial compressive strength of a rock 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.