Detailed results of the experimental tests - Deliverable D.5a - Robustimpact

At the Institute for Steel Structures crash tests on columns were carried out to investigate the dynamic response of the member during the impact as well as the dynamic interaction of the member with the surrounding structure.
The tests' campaign planned by the Università degli Studi di Trento comprises of:
- two full-scale tests on 3D specimens representative of the reference buildings;
From two reference structures selected as cases study two representative substructures characterised by the same overall dimensions but by a symmetric and an asymmetric configuration (i.e., column layout), respectively, have been identified. The substructures, built in laboratory, are tested reproducing the collapse of a central column. The aim of the tests is to investigate the influence of the biaxial membrane effect associated with the concrete slab in a framed structure when the collapse of a column happens.
- 20 tensile tests on T-stubs related to the beam-to-column joint adopted in the reference structures and in the full-scale specimens. T-stubs associated to both the column (10 specimens) and the end-plate (10 specimens) are tested. The tests are performed at two different loading speeds aiming at investigating the influence of strain rate effects on the joint performance, with particular reference to the deformation capacity. As a reference, also quasi-static tests are planned.
At the Institute of Structural Design experimental tests were carried out investigating the behaviour of 2D-frames under a column loss. In addition the behaviour of composite joints under high speed loading was examined. Within the framework of the project, two tests on composite frames were tested as well as four tests on composite joints. The 2D substructure tests planned at USTUTT have the objective to evaluate the benefit of the concrete slab compared to the behaviour of the composite frame structure concerning the development of a membrane effect. For this purpose, the results of the composite frame tests will be compared to the 3D substructure tests performed at UTRE. Therefore, the test specimens of the 2D substructure tests are adapted to the 3D substructure tests. In order to compare also the results of the composite joint tests to the behaviour of the frames and to observe the influence of the joints on each other the test specimens for the joint tests are also adapted to the frame tests.
Experimental impact tests were planned at the University of Liege (ULg): 22 tests on beam-to-column joints with 5 different joint configurations and 22 tests on column base joints with 4 different joint configurations. One of the objectives of the performed study was to propose realistic joints and column bases which could fit with the laboratory facilities of ULg, what induced a downscaling of the dimension of the members in comparison to the dimension of the ones met in the reference building. With the designed specimens, it is possible to investigate the response of different joint components under impact loading, for different levels of energy (small, medium and high levels), and to compare this response to the one obtained through a static test to highlight the dynamic effects. These static tests are performed for each type of specimens and will be used to clearly determine the different level of energy to be used for the impact tests.
The general test setup for all tests was derived in Work Package 3 and can be found in the deliverable D.4.1 [18] of the project.