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THE STRUCTURES AND INFRASTRUCTURE TESTING LABORATORY

(Hall Building H-0023)

The Structures and Infrastructure Testing Laboratory at Concordia is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment capable of testing different structural elements and assemblages made of various materials.

About the lab

Funded by CFI, NSERC, FQRNT and industry, the upgraded Structures and Infrastructure Testing Laboratory at Concordia is a state-of-the-art structural testing facility. The facility can test different structural elements and assemblages, including columns, bridge girders, frames and walls made of concrete, masonry, steel or their combinations. The testing mode could be static, cyclic or dynamic (to simulate the wind or seismic forces).

The lab has a strong frame equipped with three servo-hydraulic actuators, an MTS digital servo-controller, two hydraulic service manifolds and a high-capacity hydraulic power unit. This new test system is capable of large-scale static and dynamic structural simulation and applies precise variable loads both vertically and horizontally.

Each heavy-duty, double-acting, servo-hydraulic actuator can apply force up to 1000 kN in either compression or tension. They are equipped with precision computer-controlled servo valves, LVDTs for measuring the displacement and load cells for measuring the force. Swivel bases and rod ends provide pivotal freedom at both ends of the actuators. The servo-controller combines precise, real-time, closed-loop control and function generation to drive the system’s hydraulic and mechanical components. The testing facility also includes the wireless strain and acceleration sensors and data acquisition for fiber optic and wireless sensors, particularly useful for an on-site assessment and structural health monitoring of existing structures.

List of standard mechanical properties characterization tests

Material

Characteristic

Standard

Concrete

Concrete

Cylinder compressive strength, 𝒇'c

ASTM C39/C39M−20

Splitting tensile strength, Tc

ASTM C496/C496M-17

Modulus of rupture, Rc

ASTM C78/C78M−18

Modulus of Elasticity, Ec

ASTM C469/C469M−14

Poisson’s Ratio, 𝛎c

Steel

Steel reinforcement

Yield strength, fy

ASTM A615/A615M-20

ASTM A370-20

Modulus of Elasticity, Es

Ultimate strength

Masonry

2-course stack bond prism

Prism Compressive strength, 𝒇'm

ASTM C1314-18

Modulus of elasticity, Em

 4-course running bond prism

Prism Compressive strength, 𝒇'm

 CSA S304-14, Annex D

Modulus of elasticity, Em

7-course stack bond beam

Modulus of rupture, Rm

ASTM E518-15

Concrete masonry units

Block compressive strength

ASTM C140/C140M-20a

Mortar

Type S Mortar

Cube compressive strength, fm

ASTM C780-20

ASTM C109/C109M -20b

Flow of Hydraulic Cement Mortar

ASTM C1437-20

Grout

Fine and coarse grout

Cylinder compressive strength

CSA A179-14, Annex B

FRP

FRP bars

Longitudinal tensile strength, Ftu

ASTM D7205/D7205M-16

Longitudinal tensile modulus of elasticity, Ef

Compressive strength, Fcu

ASTM D695/D695M-15

Bond strength, τ

ASTM D7913/D7913M-14

Bent portion strength, Ft

CSA S807-19, Annex E

Transverse shear strength, 𝞃U

ASTM D7617-D7617M-17

Apparent horizontal shear strength, S

ASTM D4475-16

Cross-sectional area, AF

CSA S806-12

Bond-dependent coefficient, Kb

Alkaline resistance

FRP sheets

Tensile strength, F*

ASTM D7565/D7565M-17

Modulus of elasticity, K*

Testing equipment and facilities

1. Multipurpose MTS testing frame

  • Synchronized axial and lateral cyclic and dynamic loading on structural elements: shear walls, moment resisting frames, and fatigue loading on bridge girders.
  • Three MTS dynamic actuators: +/− 750 kN capacity and +/− 200mm stroke

2. High-capacity compression testing machine: 500 kips (2200 kN)

  • Compression tests on concrete prisms and cylinders
  • Compression tests on ungrouted and grouted masonry blocks
  • Compression tests on masonry bricks

3. High-capacity testing frame

  • 5000 kN compression/ 3000 kN tension
  • Vertical loading on columns and beams

4. Beams and slabs testing frame

  • 3000 kN tension/compression
  • Testing of full-scale beams, slabs, and deck slabs

5. Data acquisition systems

  • 5 x VISHAY: System 8000-8-SM scanner with a total of 40 channels (top image)
  • 2 x VISHAY: System 5000 scanner with a total of 40 channels (middle image)
  • 2 x KEYSIGHT 34972A LX1 data acquisition with a total of 48 channels (bottom image)

6. Digital controllers

  • MTS controller (4 channels)
  • MSC-Servo controller for the high-capacity testing frame system
  • MSC-Servo for the beam and slabs testing frame system

7. Universal testing machine

  • Tinius-Olsen Super-L digitally-controlled – 120kips (530 kN)

8. Concrete cylinder-end grinding machine

  • Automatically grinds up to three concrete specimens’ ends to be plane and perpendicular to the prism

9. Concrete mixing room

  • Concrete mixer
  • Air filtration system
  • Slump testing equipment meeting ASTM C143, AASHTO T 119, and BS 1881
  • Standard cylinder meeting ASTM C39,C192 and C470 specifications

10. Instrumentation devices

  • Displacement: LVDTs (top image), potentiometers (bottom image)
  • Strains: Strain gauges, extensometer (2”, 8”)
  • Forces: Load cells (100 kN, 500 kN, 3000 kN, 5000 kN) (middle image)
  • Crack width: High-precision hand-held microscope

11. MTS hydraulic pump system

  • 90 gpm Hydraulic Pump Unit (HPU)
  • Hydraulic Service Manifold (HSM)

List of tests on structural elements

  • Beams and slabs under vertical static or fatigue loadings (RC, Steel, RM, FRP-RC)
  • Shear walls under axial and lateral cyclic loads (RC, Steel, RM, FRP-RC)
  • Columns under monotonic or cyclic, concentric/eccentric axial loadings (RC, Steel, RM, FRP-RC)
  • Out-of-Plane loading on walls (RC, RM)
  • Post-installed anchors in concrete elements (Steel, GFRP)
     
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