Schmidt hammer

A Schmidt hammer, also known as a Swiss hammer, is a device to measure the elastic properties or strength of concrete or rock.

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The hammer measures the rebound of a spring loaded mass impacting against the surface of the sample. When conducting the test the hammer should be held at right angles to the surface which in turn should be flat and smooth. The rebound reading will be affected by the orientation of the hammer, when used in a vertical position (on the underside of a suspended slab for example) gravity will increase the rebound distance of the mass and vice versa for a test conducted on a floor slab. The Schmidt hammer is an arbitrary scale ranging from 10 to 100. Schmidt hammers are available from their original manfacturers in several different energy ranges. These include: (i) Type L-0.735 Nm impact energy, (ii) Type N-2.207 Nm impact energy; and (iii) Type M-29.43 Nm impact energy.

The test is also sensitive to other factors:

• Local variation in the sample. To minimise this it is recommended to take a selection of readings and take an average value.
• Water content of the sample, a saturated material will give different results from a dry one.

Prior to testing, the Schmidt hammer should be calibrated using a calibration test anvil supplied by the manufacturer for that purpose. The average of 10 readings should be obtained Using this method of testing is classed as indirect as it does not give a direct measurement of the strength of the material. It simply gives an indication based on surface properties, it is only suitable for making comparisons between samples.