The Drilling Resistance Measuring System (DRMS) is a technique for measuring changes in compressive strength through the depth of masonry materials. It can be used both on site and in a laboratory to evaluate the state of conservation of stone, brick and mortar, the effectiveness of consolidation treatments, and the quality of quarry materials and cast stone products.

The Science

The Drilling Resistance Measurement System (DRMS) measures the force required to drill a hole at constant rotation (rpm) and lateral feed rate (mm/min). The force is known to correlate with the compressive strength of the material. When the rotation, lateral feed rate and type of drill bit are held constant, the measured force is an indication of the compressive strength of the material.

The Instrumentation

The Materials and Engineering Research Institute is equipped with a Drilling Resistance Measurement System produced by SINT Technology (Italy), which is capable of measuring drilling force in the range of 1 to 100 N up to a depth of 50 mm.  

Consultancy

This instrumentation plays an important role in many of our research and consultancy projects. Typical applications of the Drilling Resistance Measurement System are:

• Evaluation of the state of conservation of masonry materials in buildings, bridges, city gates, fountains and statues.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of masonry consolidation treatments.
• Quality assessment of quarry materials.
• Quality assessment of cast stone products.

To find out more services we can provide please submit your enquiry.

Associated services

• Accelerated weathering testing
• Thermal conductivity test
• Mercury intrusion porosimetry

Who to contact

For more information about the Drilling Resistance Measurement System please contact Professor Fin O'Flaherty.