Journal of the Korean Geo-Environmental Society ISSN:1598-0820(Print) 2714-1233(Online) 한국지반환경공학회 논문집

This study aims to propose a non-destructive method for evaluating the compressive strength of materials such as rock and concrete. Rather than being limited to a single impact, the proposed approach measures the impact force response signals generated by multiple impacts occurring during the rebound process following the initial impact. These signals are converted into a cumulative energy-based indicator, which is then used for strength evaluation. To implement this approach, a dedicated experimental system capable of impact generation and signal measurement was newly designed and assembled. An initial impact was applied to the specimen using a rotational free-fall mechanism, allowing successive rebound-induced impacts to occur continuously. Concrete specimens with different strength levels and sizes were prepared as test samples, and impact force experiments were conducted to record the response signals generated during the impact process. Based on the measured signals from both the initial and rebound impacts, the total impact force signal energy was calculated for each specimen and compared with the corresponding compressive strength obtained from direct compression tests. The results demonstrated a clear correlation between the total impact force signal energy derived from the response signals and the directly measured compressive strength of the concrete specimens. These findings indicate that the compressive strength of materials, including concrete, can be non-destructively evaluated using the total impact force signal energy obtained from impact force response signals.