Evaluation of strength characteristics of rocks using block and cylindrical punch test results

Uniaxial compressive strength is one of the most important parameters that are used in rock engineering plans. Since, standard samples are needed for conducting of uniaxial compressive test and obtaining of standard samples from week and layered rocks is hard and sometimes impossible, recently indirect methods for estimation of UCS are in attention. Using of Punch test results is one of these methods that has introduced recently. In this study many different tests conducted to obtaining of uniaxial compressive strength, block punch index, point load index, velocity of compressive wave and the physical properties of 63 different rock types. In plus, for the first time cylindrical punch test is used. By analyzing of results of the tests the accuracy of different methods for predicting of UCS is investigated. These analyses are performed once for all rock types and once for three separate rock groups.