The concrete test hammer is the most widely used method globally for non-destructive testing of concrete and structural components. It is a hand held equipment for testing the quality of hardened concrete in a structure.

On newly built structures, the equipment is used to give an indication of the gain in concrete strength, once the concrete has hardened.
It can be used on existing structures to get an estimate of the uniformity of the concrete.

Test hammer is available in Small as well as Big size.
A digital concrete test hammer is also available.

Salient Features

• The small size test hammer consists of a barrel. The barrel has a hammer fitted within it, which in turn is attached to an impact spring that slides on a guide bar.
• There is a plunger attached to the guide bar that is pressed against the surface to be tested.
• Provided with a rider on a calibrated scale, which indicates the extent of rebound of the hammer mass, on reaching the compressive strength.
• There is a lock button fixed on the body of the hammer that locks the rider in place and the rider can also be reset to zero position by using this button.
• The instrument is supplied with a grinding stone for polishing the test surface and the entire instrument comes in a carrying case.
• The big size test hammer is mainly used for testing concrete with bigger size aggregates and for concrete roads testing.
• The instrument is provided with two handles, which can be attached to the body of the test hammer for easy conduction of the test.
• The plunger of the bigger concrete test hammer is wider.

Working Principle

The test hammer works on the principle that the rebound of an elastic mass that impacts on a surface is a function of the hardness of the surface itself. Hence the harder the surface, the greater is the rebound impact.

Applications

• Concrete Testing
• Construction (bridges, buildings, etc.)
• Testing of slabs, beams, columns, etc.