ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an enhanced version of the X-Drill that was developed on purpose for historical mortars. The mechanical characterization of material components in existing masonry structures has been the topic of several research studies. Focusing on masonry structures, it is possible to reach different knowledge levels, as suggested by the Italian Standards, by using a com-bination of non-destructive (NDT), minor destructive (MDT) and destructive tests. One of the common tests for masonry structures is the single flat jack test to determine the stress level on a vertical panel. With the introduction of new technologies in the structural monitoring of masonry buildings, several NDT techniques have been developed to obtain information without damaging the structure. The penetrometric tests are in-situ techniques midway between NDT and MDT. In case of masonry, these tests are usually an adjusted version of standard tests for other materials useful to estimate the compressive strength by micro-destructive analysis.
