Application of the mortar static penetration test to historical buildings

A new version of the penetration test for mortars of historical masonry is based on the idea of "static" penetration. The pin is driven at constant velocity by a stepper motor controlled by a computer. The result of the test is the penetration load as function of the penetration depth. The penetrometer has been tested on masonry walls characterized by decayed mortar with poor cohesion. The results are correlated with those of a previous percussion penetration test