Reinforced Concrete Frame Component Testing Facility - Design, Construction, Instrumentation and Operation

Keywords: Reinforced Concrete, Frames, Beam Column Joints, Beams, Columns, Reversed Cyclic Loads, Control Systems, Multi-story Structures, Lateral Load Resistance, Computer Analysis, and Test Methods.

Abstract: This report describes the capabilities and operation of a test system which has been constructed to test lightly reinforced concrete columns and beam-column joint details. The test system can be used to load interior and exterior beam-column connection assemblies in a manner causing combined axial force and reversing double curvature in the columns. Testing is done primarily in two dimensions, considering the interaction between beams and columns along the same frame. Some three-dimensional effects such as confinement by transverse beams and slabs may also be included. The test system was built to study full-scale components at force levels comparable to those in an actual structure. Forces are applied to a specimen in a quasi-static manner by three servo-controlled hydraulic actuators. A single 400 kip capacity actuator is used to apply the column axial force, and two 110 kip capacity actuators are used to apply the beam forces. Each actuator is operated independently in closed-loop displacement mode. A computer program was written to control the force application and data acquisition tasks during an experiment. This software allows a test to be made according to either a force or displacement history. Various levels of operator intervention provide the operator with the ability to alter the test plan, influence the speed of execution, or manipulate the graphical output on the microcomputer monitor during the course of an experiment.