Evidence-Linked Point Load Test Measurement Uncertainty via Human-Supervised AI
- Proceedings
- EUROCK 2026
- Pages
- 1395-1400
- Submitted
- 15 May 2026
- Accepted
- 15 June 2026
- Published
- 12 August 2026
Summary
Abstract
In rock engineering the point load strength index Is(50) informs rock strength classification, correlation-based estimation of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), and rock-mass classification systems used in design. The reliability of each such decision depends on the evidence behind the laboratory value. Yet under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation, the measurement uncertainty of Is(50) and its supporting evidence are frequently fragmented across spreadsheets, certificates and folders, and rarely traceable as a single record. An uncertainty that is unquantified or undocumented does not disappear; it propagates into classification and design as unmanaged risk. This paper presents a pilot study of the documentation quality of Is(50) inputs. Using real records from an accredited laboratory that took part in an interlaboratory comparison, it reconstructs the Is(50) uncertainty budget from its physical sources, following JCGM 100:2008 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Clause 7.6. It then proposes an Evidence Traceability Matrix (ETM) linking each source to its required documentary evidence and clause, and a Documentation Completeness Score (DCS), a weighted clause-anchored indicator of record completeness, supported by a seven-stage human-supervised workflow in which AI produces the provisional candidate drafts requiring engineer approval. For the case dataset, repeatability driven by specimen heterogeneity dominates, and the expanded uncertainty is of the order of ±1.2 MPa (k=2) on a ~5 MPa index — a magnitude relevant to the strength-class boundaries the index informs. The contribution is a structured demonstration on real data and a purpose-built AI-assisted workflow for evidence-linked uncertainty documentation in accredited geotechnical laboratories, with preliminary scoring weights requiring multi-laboratory validation as the next step.
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References
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