pizzi instruments PNT-G2 User manual
User Manual / Penetrometer PNT - G - 2
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Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. reserves the right to change the information contained in this document
without notice.
No part of this document may be reproduced without the prior written consent of Pizzi Instruments S.r.l.
The instruments supplied by Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. are designed and optimized to be used and installed
with simplicity.
However, since they are performed at a high technical level, they must be installed and used by a trained
and qualified technical staff.
Before the installation of the supplied instrumentation, it is advisable to carefully read this manual and any
other related documents.
All rights reserved.
Pizzi Instruments S.r.l.
Warranty
Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. warrants its product against defects in materials for twelve (12) months from the
date of shipment unless otherwise specified on the relevant contract or purchase order.
Products considered to be defective should be returned to Pizzi Instruments factory properly identified,
complete with serial number, Returned Materials Authorization (RMA) and freight prepaid.
Pizzi Instruments’ obligation under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing (at Pizzi Instruments’
discretion) defective products, which shall be the sole and exclusive solution under this warranty.
The Customer shall assume all costs of removing and shipping defective products to Pizzi Instruments and
the costs of reinstalling the repaired/substituted instruments.
The foregoing warranty shall not apply to any Pizzi Instruments products which have been subjected to
modification, misuse, misapplication, neglect, improper service or maintenance, improper installation.
Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. is not liable for any damage or loss caused to other equipment or person, whether
direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential which the buyer may experience as a result of the
installation or use of the product.
The amount of any claim is limited to the net invoice value of the item in question.
In no case Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. will recognize and reimburse the costs incurred by the customer for
installations, maintenance, management, as well as for the uninstallation and reinstallation of the
instruments to be repaired or replaced under warranty.
While the information contained in the manual is assumed to be accurate, Pizzi Instruments neither assumes
responsibility for any omission or error that may appear or assumes liability for any damage or loss that
result from the use of products in accordance with the information contained in the manual.
Pizzi Instruments S.r.l.
Document Revision
Date
Rev.
Issued
Checked
Approved
05/04/2019
01
LUG
MPZ
FPZ
User Manual / Penetrometer PNT - G - 2
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Table of contents
1.Simbols and abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 5
2.Introduzione ........................................................................................................................................ 5
3.Initial Inspection .................................................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Damage during shipment ................................................................................................................... 6
4.Storage................................................................................................................................................ 6
5.Description........................................................................................................................................... 6
5.1.Components...................................................................................................................................... 7
5.2. Use on the mortar ............................................................................................................................ 7
5.3.Installation of the “PNT-G2” APP ........................................................................................................ 7
5.4.APP configuration .............................................................................................................................. 9
5.5. Preparation of the PNT-G_2............................................................................................................. 13
5.6. Taking measurements..................................................................................................................... 14
5.6.1 Manual Mode................................................................................................................................ 15
5.6.2.Automatic Mode ........................................................................................................................... 18
5.7.Data backup.................................................................................................................................... 20
6.Data process ...................................................................................................................................... 24
7.Technical Assistance........................................................................................................................... 26
8.Maintenance ...................................................................................................................................... 26
Manuale d'uso / Penetrometro PNT - G
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Use of this manual
This manual must be considered for the installation and use of the Penetrometer model PNT-G_2.
Danger and safety
Warning for the unpacking of the material:
Be careful when handling the packaging to avoid damage to property and / or people.
Handle with care every package before you open it.
Be sure to open every package without risking damage its contents.
Separate carefully each component of the package
Warning for the installer:
Be careful in handling the heavy metal parts
Be careful when handling bulky packaging
Caution: Always use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Be careful not to apply any shock to the instrument
Do not throw water on the readout unit and on other electrical units
Do not impact the readout unit
Warnings for the disposal of the material
All material must be disposed in accordance with local regulations of the country where the
equipment will be installed and where it will be removed.
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1Simbols and abbreviations
NOTE: the symbol note highlights important information
The Caution Symbol highlights the presence of a potential danger.
CAUTION: of instrument damage. All conditions specified in the associated text must be
fully known and understood before proceeding
This symbol indicates that the product at the end of its useful life must be collected
separately from other waste. The operator must therefore send the equipment to the
appropriate centers for collection of electronic and electrotechnical waste
2Introduzione
The quality of the mortar directly influences the resistance of the masonry and, in particular, its effect is
much more evident in case of a low quality of the same.
The deformability of the walls also depends on the mechanical response of the mortar.
The lime mortar is essentially constituted by grains of sand which are aggregated between them; it is clear
that the mechanical strength depends on the intensity of their connections: it is therefore to be expected
that the resistance of the lime mortar is correlated with the energy needed to reduce it in free sand, or to
destroy the components, when the connection between the grains is strong.
Drilling the mortar with a special drill machine and measuring the consumed energy you obtain a reference
variable correlated with the mortar resistance independent from the push on the drill .
A calibrated drill of 4mm of diameter, for a depth of 5mm, is sufficient for a survey/acquisition that is
statistically significant for the determination of the connection between the grains of the mortar, which is
typically common in Italy.
Applying calibration “ad hoc”, our penetrometer PNT – G_2 could be, therefore, used with grading and
resistances of the aggregates different from those ones above described; more detailed information are
provided in the following technical literature : N. Gucci, R. Barsotti, Non destructive technique for the
determination of mortar load capacity in situ, Materials and structures, 28, 1995, pagg. 276 –283.
3Initial Inspection
All instruments are carefully inspected from the electrically and mechanically point of view, before they leave
the factory. Please check if all received items correspond with the packing list and your order confirmation.
In case of discrepancy please contact Pizzi Instruments S.r.l. or the local representative immediately.
All instruments are carefully checked both electrically and mechanically, before
leaving the factory.
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3.1 Damage during shipment
If requested at the moment of the order, all instruments can be insured prior to shipment. If you receive a
damaged shipment and shipping insurance was previously arranged you should:
Report the damage to your shipper immediately
Inform Pizzi Instruments or your local representative immediately
Keep all packaging and shipping documents
NOTE: All shipments must immediately opened upon delivery and the content must be checked,
in quality and quantity, on the base of the packing list sent together with the goods.
No claims for shortages, damages or errors will be considered valid if no writing form to our
office within 3 days of receipt of goods will be sent.
Attention: insurance claims may be void if the above procedure is not followed.
4Storage
Keep the material in a proper site to avoid the deterioration of the material before the use and to
protect it from any possibility of shocks.
Do not place weights on top of the instrumentation
Do not store the equipment in places where it could cause damage to persons or property
5Description
The use of the Penetrometer PNT-G_2 does not differ from a normal drill with depth limiter: the reading is
automatically supplied by an APP installed on a smartphone provided with the instrument and connected to
the Penetrometer by a bluetooth device. A first acoustic signal warns the operator that the instrument is
ready, a second signal warns that the measurement has been taken.
For each point of measurement it is necessary to practice in the mortar 15 gravels at a distance of about 1,5
cm from each.
It could be appropriate to clean the joint to remove the surface of the mortar; in any case it is necessary to
avoid that the gravel could be done in points tangent to the blocks of the masonry.
The PNT-G_2 measures the energy absorbed by the drill in the material boring of a quarry, automatically
subtracting each time the work not related to the tested material (internal friction of the drill, starting power,
etc.).
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5.1 Components
The penetrometer will be supplied with the following accessories:
- smartphone with the APP “PNT-G2” already installed
- penetrometer with 1,5 meters of cable with connector
- n°2 batteries
- battery charger with connector
- smarthpone armband
5.2 Use on the mortar
Before each use of the penetrometer PNT-G_2, it is advisable to check the length of the stretch of flat drill
that comes out of the drill protection, using the appropriate provided calibrated instrumentation and
carefully following the procedure described.
The hole must be performed orthogonally with respect to the surface to be examined, for this purpose the
drill is provided with a bubble level for horizontal drilling.
The Penetrometer PNT-G_2 must operate in vacuum before each measurement, awaiting a first beep
indicating that the instrument is ready.
The pressure on the mortar should be chosen in relation to the expected resistance and maintained until a
second beep that will alert the interruption of the automatic measure to achieve the depth of the borehole at
the calibrated measurement of 5 mm.
5.3 Installation of the “PNT-G2” APP
Copy the APP in the download directory the smartphone memory (any directory is fine anyway). Launch the
application using the Android Installer function.
The system will warn that it could be a non-secure application (as it is not coming from the Google Play
Store).
Click on settings and then activate Unknown Sources.
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Click on install
The installation of the application will be launched
At the end click on open to go directly to the software or done to finish the installation without opening the SW
Alternatively, you go to the list of applications installed on the smartphone and click on the application
PNT-G2
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5.4 APP configuration
Run the SW, the following image will appear:
The bluetooth device of the smartphone will be automatically activated, but the Bluetooth won’t find any
device to connect to.
To connect the penetrometer to the software you have to activate the penetrometer for a few seconds.
Before starting the penetrometer, connect it correctly to the battery by means of a special connector.
Once the penetrometer is in operation the software will detect it and will be connected to the instrument.
The success of the operation will be evidenced by the signal search symbol that will disappear from the
home screen of the SW and by the appearance under the writing PNT-G2 of the name of the Penetrometrer.
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Now you configure the work system by clicking on the menu button (keep pressed for about 2 seconds).
First you select if you want to work in manual or automatic mode.
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For each working mode it will be possible to configure some parameters:
- Minimum perforation number: function settable only for automatic mode. These are the perforations
required to be performed during a test in automatic mode
- Energy threshold change bit: limit beyond which the tip of the penetrometer is changed, as it is probably
- Percentage gap: function settable only in automatic mode. It allows the possibility of filtering the
measurements and discarding them with a percentage compared to the average.
- Percentage Power Calibration Correction: technical calibration factor directly dependent on the
penetrometer. This parameter can be only activated with the connected Penetrometer.
- Conversion factor [Digit / Joule] conversion factor to restitute the measurement in digits
Now you can set up a work plant
The plant can be associated with a client or a job. Below the plants there are the places; these can be
associated with the single specimen. Each place will be characterized by xx measures.
To configure a plant, hold down the new button for about 2 seconds.
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Write the name of the plant
It is possible to create multiple plants and select them using the MENU> Plant Selection button
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5.5 Preparation of the PNT-G_2
Once the software part has been configured, you can configure the mechanical part, that refers to the
correct positioning of the penetrometer tip.
The instrument must make a 5 mm hole
For this reason the instrument is equipped with the following accessories:
- calibrated thickness of 5 mm
- stainless steel bushing necessary to define the beat-up point of the tip
- spindle to tighten the tip
To set the penetrometer to the 5 mm stroke necessary for correct measurements, follow the steps below:
- By the use of the splindle you unlock the tip, so that it is free to move
- Screw the stainless steel bushing as shown in the picture
-enter the calibrated thickness
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-You use one hand to bring into contact the black L-shaped carriage with the calibrated thickness
- With the other hand you slide the tip of the penetrometer up to the stop on the stainless steel bushing.
Once the tip is brought to the stop, still with the same hand, tighten the tip with the spindle.
Now first you lay the spindle then you leave the black L-shaped carriage and, at the end, you remove the
calibrated thickness.
To be sure that you have correctly done all the necessary passages, you bring the black L-shaped carriage
up to the beat-up point and, by means of a gauge, you measure the excursion of the tip with respect to the
protection cap.
If the size is 5 mm, you can proceed with the measurements, otherwise you can repeat the above
mentioned procedure with greater precision.
This process is very simple, but may require a minimum of experience.
5.6 Taking measurements
First you have to make sure to have selected the correct plant and the desired measurement mode, then
you could proceed with the test.
If the application is no longer connected to the penetrometer, as the instrument goes into stand-by mode
after about 2 minutes of inactivity, simply you have to press the activation button to reactivate the bluetooth
device.
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5.6.1 Manual Mode
Position the drill in the direction of hole execution at a distance of a few cm from the specimen.
As soon as the penetrometer start button is pressed, the cell indicating the measurement in progress will
start counting and the writing "START CALIB" will appear.
In this phase, the penetrometer management readout unit, incorporated in the instrument, will eliminate the
starting power necessary for the instrument to start.
Immediately after, a second zero measurement execution phase will follow and on the display will be
indicated the writing “CALIB”.
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The end of the calibration phase will be showed by an acoustic signal.
Now you can start the perforation up to the end of the stroke (5mm).
The end of the perforation phase will be showed by another acoustic signal.
In all these steps the operator must never stop operation of the instrument and during the calibration
phases the penetrometer must be in the same position as the perforation
Summarizing in a schematic way:
- Position the penetrometer (idle/stand-by mode), ready to perform measurements, a few cm from the
specimen,
- You activate the penetrometer (empty) and you continue the measurements until the drilling is completed,
- The readout unit will manage a first measurement cancellation phase due to the instrument start-up,
- A calibration will be performed as zero measurement, that is the energy required for the drill to run in the
idle mode
- You take measurements on the specimen.
The value displayed on the APP will correspond to the energy needed for the penetrometer to perform
drilling, automatically subtracted from the value of the zero measurement,
The following screen will appear :
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At the end of the second measurement the following screen will appear :
The cell "Measurement Number" indicates the measure number of the specific Place
The cell "Average in Place" automatically displays the average of the values of the taken measurements
To the left of the “manual measure values”, there are two buttons :
- Roll: allows you to scroll and view the measurements performed by the operator
- Clear: allows you to cancel the measurement performed by the operator
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You can proceed taking measures up to the end of the test phase.
Bottom right of the “manual measure values” there are three buttons :
- Voice: allows you to save voice files for the work place
- Picture: allows you to take pictures and save them for the work place
- Editor: allows to create test files for the work place
5.6.2 Automatic Mode
After having selected the automatic mode from the configuration menu and having set the necessary
measures for this mode (by default in the number of 15) proceed to the tests as above described.
Before issuing an average value and a validation of the test, the software requires to perform the set
measurements.
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The average will be calculated on the total of the performed measurements (by default in the number of
15), excluding from the two measurements with higher and lower values .
The test validation will be done by verifying if at least 6 measurements, among those performed, fall within
the validation value +/- 25% (or other percentage gap value set in the configuration menu).
If the validation is successful the cell of the measurement number will be of green color, if it is not
successful the color will be red. In this case, if further measurements are required, the software will
automatically update the average value and its validation, until the test result will be positive.
On successful completion only the measurements that are included within the average validation value of
+/- 25% (or other percentage gap value set in the configuration menu) will be saved and the defined
average value displayed on the sw will be relative to all measurements saved or that satisfy the validation.
Only the measurements that satisfy the validation will be saved in the csv file.
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5.7 Data backup
During the acquisition in the internal memory of the smartphone a work folder with the name of the Plant
will be generated and continuously updated
The folder is located in the directory
/ Storage / Emulated / PNT-G2
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