When we look around ourselves, we observe tall buildings, apartments, and highways, and not the lush green forests and canopy of trees. With the increasing population, construction work to accommodate the population is increasing too. The companies are working in full swing to ensure timely completion of work. Before the initiation of work, land or area inspection is carried out along with several tests. To determine whether the land is suitable for construction or not the geological and topographical features are considered.
The foundation of the structure should be strong enough to withstand the load, especially in the hilly areas; more precautions should be taken. The samples of rocks are tested using rock testing apparatus to determine its load and strength. Different properties of rocks such as compressive strength, permeability, uniaxial tensile strength, etc. are determined before the beginning of work.
Various parameters are measured, such as the difference in rock formations, index of materials, and elastic modulus. The following are the common rock sample tests that can be performed either on-site or laboratory and are conducted before any construction:
- Abrasion test – This test is conducted to determine the hardness of the rocks.
- Water absorption – It is carried out to determine the water-holding capacity of the rock.
- Permeability – This test is carried out to determine whether the rock is porous or not.
- Triaxial – A confined pressure is applied to the specimen axially in the compression testing machine.
- Tensile Test – This test is useful to obtain the tensile strength of brittle material such as concrete, rock, etc.
- Slake durability – This test finds out the resistance of rock to disintegration when exposed to two different conditions wet and dry.
Not just for the construction of houses; mining, tunnelling, and excavation requires strength and index testing of rock samples. The entire process of rock testing could be cumbersome if the right equipment is not used with the right technique. The rock analysis equipment must withstand the maximum load, and it should not break down and disrupt the process. Different equipment is found in the market, such as:
- Drilling Machine
- Core Drilling Machine
- Lapping Machine
- High-pressure controller
- Flat Jack
- Rock Permeability
- Brazilian Test Apparatus
With advancements, it has become easy to get accurate results on the digital screen. When stress is applied to the rock sample, graphs along with results are displayed. Stiffness, strength, and durability are important parameters that are described well on the screen. It has become easy to find the right equipment due to its availability on e-commerce platforms as well. The orders can be finalized within a day and delivered at the doorsteps within a week.
Rocks are prone to disintegration and degradation due to several factors, including air, water, moisture, etc. Before initiating any construction it’s mandatory to carry out these tests to determine the nature of rocks and their properties and also find the right apparatus for testing. The physical and mechanical properties can be found on-field or in the laboratory. One must use the right equipment and standard required pressure to get accurate results.
