How to Identify the Recommended Number of Cores

The concrete strength assessment process is influenced by uncertainties at many levels, including random measurement errors, sampling uncertainty and identification of the conversion model parameters. Therefore, instead of estimating the true value of the concrete strength, it is preferable to say that the objective of the assessment process is to predict a strength value ranging at a tolerable distance from the true strength value. This implies a deep revision of the assessment paradigm, in which both the acceptable tolerance interval and the risk of a wrong assessment must be given at the very beginning of the investigation. A large series of simulations has been carried out in order to understand and quantify how, for a given tolerance on the strength estimation, the risk value varies as a function of the precision of measurements, the number of cores and the strength distribution. Empirical models have been identified from the simulation results. These models have been finally used to calculate how many cores are required in various situations, to achieve the accuracy corresponding to three different estimation quality levels. This chapter describes the principles of the simulation, and how their results were used in order to build a series of tables where the recommended number of cores is made available in a variety of situations.