The Lab operates on the basis of a wide experience for the testing of members and components of steel, reinforced concrete and composite structures for quasi-static cyclic or seismic loading.
The activities are related to the following aspects:
• testing of full-size or reduced scale models of vertical load-bearing members for cyclic and seismic loading
• testing of connections between structural members for cyclic and seismic loading
• seismic characterization and certification of structural members and connection
• assistance to planning and execution of investigations and tests via quasi-static cyclic loading
The activities can exploit the lab “strong floor” and reaction frames, capable of applying horizontal loads up to 1000 kN, with simultaneous control of the vertical load.
Recent examples of testing of member include: voided slabs and slab-column connections; dissipative connections (friction, plastic and silycon devices) for façade panels; mechanical column-foundation connections for pre-cast structures; coupling beams in reinforced concrete walls made of high performance cementitious composites.