Bamford Rock Testing Services | Experts in Rock Strength, Excavatability and Abrasivity Testing for Mining and Tunnelling Projects | News
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BRTS will soon be accredited for this test and can help your rock mechanics and geotechnical evaluation. Whether you’re optimizing blast design, evaluating material for construction, or estimating crushing and grinding efficiency, one factor remains central: understanding the hardness and breakability of rock. That’s where the Rock Impact Hardness Number (RIHN) Test can make a significant impact.

What Is the RIHN Test?

The RIHN Test is a modernized version of the Protodyakonov Strength Index. Enhanced for consistency and repeatability, the RIHN test performed by BRTS uses standardized core samples to simulate real-world breakage scenarios and quantify the samples’ resistance to impact forces.

A Simple Concept with Powerful Results

 A number of rock specimens having the same dimensions are subjected to different kinetic energies, produced by different numbers of hammer blows, and the degrees of comminution produced by each test are analysed, to indicate the amount of kinetic energy to produce an arbitrary 25% comminution.  The RIHN, the number of hammer blows required to produce 25% comminution, is a fundamental characteristic of each rock type, enabling quantitative comparisons of the amount of work required to break or cut different rocks, providing insights essential for:Mining operations – Improve drill-and-blast strategies
Crushing circuit design – Predict energy requirements
Construction and tunnelling – Predict machine productivity and tool wear
Rock mass classification systems – Integrate mechanical behaviour into geotechnical models
Why Choose the RIHN Test from BRTS?

✅ Fast and cost-effective
✅ Reproducible and standardized
✅ Provides a bridge between lab results and field performance
✅ Ideal for comparative studies – Easily compare rock types across mine sites or formations
Proven in the Field

From exploration drilling programs to academic research, the RIHN Test has been adopted worldwide as a practical solution for characterizing rock strength. It helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions—from resource planning to equipment specification.

Get Ahead with RIHN – Powered by BRTS

If you’re seeking a practical method to evaluate rock breakability, the Rock Impact Hardness Number Test delivers. Contact us today to learn how RIHN testing with NATA accreditation can be integrated into your next project

Just letting you know that we have found a new home!

We will be moving to Coburg North in the near future and look forward to welcoming you there.

No dates have been set for the move as yet, as we are waiting on Council permissions and some minor building works.

Please keep sending rocks and Test requests to us in North Melbourne until we let you know about dates when they are set.

 

Happy New Year to everyone! As part of the New Year celebrations, please welcome Debbie Parker to BRTS as our new Office Manager.

She starts on 6th January 2025 and we hope she will enjoy working here at North Melbourne with our lab team, as well as our wonderful clients.

Thanks to Jenny, retiring as OM, but who will remain on site for a while and continue to work in the “back room”.

 

Bamford Rock Testing Services will be closed from 4pm, 20th December until 8am on the 6th January 2025.

We wish all our clients and suppliers a safe and happy Festive Season. Thank you all for your support throughout 2024.

Looking forward to working more with you next year and beyond!

 

Caption (from R to L).         Professor Charlie Li of the University of Trondheim Norway, Professor Antonio Bobet of Purdue University USA, and Dr Ian Gray of Sigra, Brisbane in discussion with Dr Bill Bamford.

BRTS was pleased to welcome several of the guest speakers for AusRock Conference 2022 at its laboratory in North Melbourne. AusRock was the ISRM’s regional symposium and offered a large programme both in person and via technology, to discuss the latest ideas and research.

Last week, some of the presenters came at the personal invitation of Dr Bill Bamford, Director of BRTS, to the laboratory. They were able to speak with the Laboratory Manager, Dr Darshi Palamakumbure, the Deputy Lab Manager, Rushan Dayarathne as well as with Bill.

All of them were impressed with the facility, the work being done here and were excited to discuss their own work with BRTS staff.
Anyone who would like to visit the laboratory should contact tests@bamfordrocks.com.au