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, T_c	ASTM C496/C496M-17
		Modulus of rupture, R_c	ASTM C78/C78M−18
		Modulus of Elasticity, E_c	ASTM C469/C469M−14
		Poisson’s Ratio, 𝛎_c	ASTM C469/C469M−14
Steel	Steel reinforcement	Yield strength, f_y	ASTM A615/A615M-20 ASTM A370-20
		Modulus of Elasticity, E_s
		Ultimate strength
Masonry	2-course stack bond prism	Prism Compressive strength, 𝒇'_m	ASTM C1314-18
	2-course stack bond prism	Modulus of elasticity, E_m	ASTM C1314-18
	4-course running bond prism	Prism Compressive strength, 𝒇'_m	CSA S304-14, Annex D
	4-course running bond prism	Modulus of elasticity, E_m	CSA S304-14, Annex D
	7-course stack bond beam	Modulus of rupture, R_m	ASTM E518-15
	Concrete masonry units	Block compressive strength	ASTM C140/C140M-20a
Mortar	Type S Mortar	Cube compressive strength, f_m	ASTM C780-20 ASTM C109/C109M -20b
Mortar	Type S Mortar	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, F_tu	ASTM D7205/D7205M-16
		Longitudinal tensile modulus of elasticity, E_f	ASTM D7205/D7205M-16
		Compressive strength, F_cu	ASTM D695/D695M-15
		Bond strength, τ	ASTM D7913/D7913M-14
		Bent portion strength, F_t	CSA S807-19, Annex E
		Transverse shear strength, 𝞃_U	ASTM D7617-D7617M-17
		Apparent horizontal shear strength, S	ASTM D4475-16
		Cross-sectional area, A_F	CSA S806-12
		Bond-dependent coefficient, K_b
		Alkaline resistance
	FRP sheets	Tensile strength, F*	ASTM D7565/D7565M-17
	FRP sheets	Modulus of elasticity, K*	ASTM D7565/D7565M-17

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)

Research Centre for Structural Safety and Resilience (CSSR)